
tokSn5l£&£ 



Slip ui poamuoo (l 9ji>j s,ioq;ny 9ip jo qo^e^g J9ug ,, qt[\ 
jo j^llm. 9ip sb 'pe^irao ^pue^TOAp^nx n99q SBq 'sesoddns 
9qs '9nreu 9soq^ 'KMdiH*) *Q '^ ' A8 H °V °^ 9pn^i;ujS iqt\ 
ss9jdx9 o} s3Jis9p i90U9dg 's.ij\r — '(randan g noissumq 



SERMONS 



BY THE 



REV. JAMES SPENCER, M.A., 



Wt$lt\jm tiautmntt, 



CANADA 



" They went forth, and preached everywhere." Mark xvi. 20. 



PUBLISHED FOR MRS. SPENCER, 

BY ANSON GREEN, CONFERENCE OFFICE, NO. 80 KING ST. EAST. 
1864. 






\(1Z&YI0 2/ns/J. 



WM. RODDY, PRINTER. 



LC Control Number 



■11 



tmp96 031702 



PREFACE 



No apology is offered for the publication of these Sermons, 
as it is believed they arc by no means a valueless contribution 
to Methodist literature. 

They have been published in compliance with a very gener- 
ally expressed desire of the friends or the deceased author, 
and in the hope that their sale will prove a source of pecuniary 
benefit to his family, who, had he devoted himself to other 
pursuits, would doubtless have enjoyed ample means of support. 

In reference to the memoir, the writer will only say that 
he accepted the task of sketching the character of his lamented 
friend with the greatest diffidence, and at the earnest and 
repeated solicitation of those who were the most interested in 
his life, and the most afflicted by his death. 

It will be readily admitted, that it is extremely difficult, 
if not impossible, to exhibit in such narrow limits the character 
of one who occupied so prominent a position in the church. 

The writer's aim has been to sketch in few words, and in 
ungarnished style, the leading traits of his character, in the 
hopes that it would be acceptable to his many friends, make 
his worth more widely known, and perhaps prove a consola- 
tion and comfort to those who were associated with him in 
the same field of labour. 

Whatever the defects of the present volume, the memory of 
the Rev. James Spencer will never be erased from the history 
of the Wesley an Methodist Church in Canada. 

P. S. — Acknowledgment of valuable assistance in preparing 
the sermons for the press, is due to Mr. W. W. Anderson, of 
Paris, C. W. 



CONTENTS 



Preface • • • • page iii 

Brief Sketch of the Author's Life 1 

SERMON I. 

THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL MEANS OF GRACE. 

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, 
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 
xvi. 31 21 

SERMON II. 

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 
And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth 
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke xvi. 23. . . . 33 

SERMON III. 

THE HEAYENLY HOME. 

In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would 
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto 
myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also. John xiv. 2, 3. 49 

SERMON IV. 

CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1 Cor- 
inthians i. 24 60 

SERMON V. 
HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 

Lay hold on eternal life. 



CONTENTS. 



SEKMON VI. 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 



Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The 
btone ivhich the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the 
corner : this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes ? 
Matthew xxi. 42 89 

SERMON VII. 

THE KINGDOM OP HEAVEN. 

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a 
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the kingdom shall not 
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all 
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Daniel ii. 44 Ill 

SERMON VIII. 

THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever. Hebrews 
Xiii. 8 1 43 

SKRMON IX. 

THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE GOSPEL DAY. 
JL'id wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and 
strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure. Isaiah 
xxxiii. 6 166 

SERMON X. 

THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field ; 
the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth 
and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matthew 
xiii. 44 178 

SERMON XL 
LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 

Neither can they die any more. Luke xx. 36 191 

SERMON XII. 

THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zionfor a 
foundation a stone, a tried stone, aprecious corner-stone, a sure founda- 
tion : he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah xxviii. 16. 199 



CONTENTS. Vll 

SERMON XIII. 

THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose 
name is The BRANCH ; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he 
shall build the temple of the Lord : Even he shall build the temple of 
the Lord ; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his 
throne ; and he shall be a priest upon his throne : and the counsel of 
peace shall be between them both. Zechariah vi. 12, 13 211 

SERMON" XIV. 

THE ADVANTAGES OP FEARING GOD. 

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness 
arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as 
calves of the stall. Malachi iv. 2 231 

SERMON XV. 

THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

But now is Christ risen from, the dead, and become the firstfruits 
of them that slept, 1 Corinthians xv. 20 248 

SERMON XVI. 

THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 

Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit 
of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans i. 4 265 

SERMON XVII. 
Paul's sermon before felix. 

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to 
come, Felix trembled. Acts xxiv. 25 • 279 

SERMON XIII. 

THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

Go thy way for this time ; when I have a convenient season, I will 
call for thee. Acts xxiv. 25 290 

SERMON XIX. 

THE CONSEQUENCES OF DELAY. 

Go thy way for this time ; when I have a convenient season I will 
call for thee. Acts. xxit. 25 301 



Till CONTENTS. 

SERMON XX. 

THE ABOUNDINGS AND REIGN OP SIN. 

Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath 
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness 
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans v. 20, 21 . . . 310 

SERMON XXI. 

THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 

Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath 
reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness 
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans v. 20, 21. . . 318 

SERMON XXII. 

THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the 
wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. 
Malachi m, 18 330 

SERMON XXIII. 

LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more 
and more unto the perfect day. Proverbs iv. 18 242 

SERMON XXIV. 

THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 

For the priests lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek 
the law at his mouth : for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 
Malachi ii. 7. 

If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we 
shall reap your carnal things ? 1 Corinthians ix. 11 353 

SERMON XXV. 

A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. 

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy 
first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, 
and do the first works ; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will 
remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent. Reve- 
lation ii. 4, 5 375 



BRIEF SKETCH 



AUTHOR'S LIFE 



Men who have had a prominent place before the world 
while living, need no memoir after they are dead. If they 
were great, no amount of eulogy would increase their great- 
ness. Their wise doings and noble sayings speak for them- 
selves. They have written their own biography, and it may 
be read in their country's history. If they were insignificant, 
no possible amount of eulogy will ever make them great. 
The accident of birth or fortune may have made them con- 
spicuous, but never made them useful. No biographer can 
•do for them that which they had no ability to do for them- 
selves. While the general correctness of this plain theory will 
be admitted, still it will not be denied, that a man may be in 
many respects great, and in every respect good, and yet because 
of the comparatively limited sphere of his life, his excellent 
qualities and undoubted usefulness may be generally unknown. 

The subject of this brief memoir would scarcely have 
thought himself good — and the world in all probability would 
never have pronounced him great — but the church, in whose 
service lie faithfully lived and triumphantly died, will not 
hesitate to record her sincere acknowledgment of both the on<e 
and the other. 

E 



2 SKETCH 0^ THE AtTHOR S LIfE* 

Kev. James Spencer, A.M., was born at the family home- 
stead in Stamford, not far from the old Lundy's Lane battle- 
field, on the 7th of February, 1812. He was the fourth son 
in a family of ten children « His parents, who were born in 
the United States, were among the first members of the 
Wesleyan Church in Canada. His father, ,a man of sterling 
worth and piety, died in the glorious triumphs of faith when 
James was yet only five years old. His mother still survives^ 
having for more than half a century adorned the church of her 
early choice with a life of christian consistency and purity. 
There are no records left by Mr. Spencer himself ', or furnished 
by any member of his family, which throw any light upon the 
earlier years of his life. In fact, there are no materials out of 
which to construct a biography, except such as relate to his 
christian experience and history. It is his conversion to God, 
through the instrumentality of the Rev. Dr. Evans, that first 
presents him particularly to our notice. 

The evidence of his conversion was perfectly clear — never 
once questioned during the rest of his life. From that date, 
however, there began a severe conflict with himself, which 
seems to have only fully terminated at *his death. That con- 
flict lay between an irresistible impression that it was his duty 
to preach, and a thorough conviction that he lacked the essen- 
tial qualifications for that office. Duty driving him with a 
firm hand in one direction* and inclination in another, seem 
to have rent his soul at times with intolerable agony. For 
hours and hours together, times without number, he would 
shut himself up alone in solemn conference with God upon 
this all-absorbing question, piteously pleading for exemption 
from the claims that so heavily pressed him, and yet always 
feeling in the issue that he had gained no sense of relief from 
their pressure. What were the exercises of his mind upon 



SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR^ LIEE* 3 

this subject during the years in which he prosecuted his studies, 
do not appear ; but no sooner is he engaged in the work 
itself than the old conflict is renewed with all its former vigor. 

He began his ministry in 1838 upon the Grimsby Circuity 
and from a diary kept during the earlier years of his minis- 
terial life, we are furnished with occasional references to the 
mental trials through which he was continually called to 
struggle* August 13th, he says> " Yesterday I tried to preach 
three times, but 0, what poor work I make of it ! It seems 
to me that I have neither the spirit of prayer nor of preaching, 
and without this what are finely finished sentences or well- 
composed sermons?" December 26th.— " I am sometimes at 
my wits end what to do. I am becoming more and more 
of the opinion that I am not in the proper employment for 
me. I wish to know and do the will of God, but that it is his 
will that I should occupy my present position in the Church, 
I am not convinced, but rather the contrary. '0 Lord) guide 
thou my feet in the way everlasting ! Amen, and amen.' " 

A letter addressed to the Rev. John Carroll about this time, 
contains a brief reference to his views on the question of his 
relationship to the Church, which he would have been willing 
and happy to sustain. 

" I was never averse to doing what I could as a Local 
Preacher, for I experienced a pleasure in that employment, 
but for anything beyond that my abilities are too slender. I 
never could desire to engage in any work for which I had not 
some qualifications. I sometimes feel greatly encouraged in 
trying to preachy and at other times I loSe all hope of ever 
doing any good in this capacity. What is the matter with 
me I cannot tell, but I have almost no appetite at all for food, 
although I am travelling the greater part of the time." No 
apology is offered for presenting a few additional selections 
from his diary, as they can scarcely be read without interest. 



4 SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

February 22nd, 1839. (( I am daily becoming more deeply 
impressed with a consciousness of my unfitness for this 
holy work, and more fully determined to leave it. The 
thought of continuing it is almost insupportable. I could 
even wish to drag out my life under a broken constitution, or 
in any honest employment, however low, rather than be a 
travelling preacher* I have just now heard of a remark that 
has been made concerning me> which so exactly agrees with 
my own opinion of myself, that I do not in the least wonder 
at its being made :— ■ He will never make a preacher, he may 
as well stop first as last/ — Bene dictum." 

Notwithstanding his determination to abandon the ministry 
at the end of the year, still the following year, by the Minutes 
of Conference we find him stationed on the Newmarket Cir- 
cuit, and, by his diary, still struggling with his great 
besetments 

He writes, — " I bitterly reproach myself for want of wisdom 
in consenting to take another circuit* and firmly resolve, if 
my life should be spared until the end of this conference year, 
to leave the work. I can hardly understand by what infatua- 
tion I was seized when I consented to accept of an appoint- 
ment for another year. 

" I have just finished reading Stoner's Life. Could I be 
as useful in the ministry as he was, I think worlds would not 
induce me to leave it ; but of this I have no expectation, I 
am ready to pass sentence upon myself as an intruder into 
the sacred office." 

In the third year, to meet the exigencies of the work, his 
time was divided between the Whitby and St. Catharines 
Circuits, during which period he was much encouraged, but 
not exalted* He writes, " Grod has revived his work, and, 
although I cannot look upon myself as being in any degree 
nstrumental, yet I can rejoice that I have had the happiness 



SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 5 

of witnessing this blessed work, and, during its progress, of 
receiving increasing strength and joy in the service of God." 

During the fourth year he was stationed on the Brantford 
Circuit, and the members of our Church in many places upon 
that circuit retain, and ever will retain, the most pleasing recol- 
lections of his friendly intercourse and successful labours among 
them. In the beginning of the year that burthen to which he 
is becoming accustomed by long continuance, presses him with 
unusual severity. July 1st. " The exercises of my mind, since 
Conference, have been to me most painful and afflicting. Con- 
trary to my expectations, I have been removed from the St. 
Catharines to the Brantford Circuit, and I believe my removal 
was contrary to the will of God. This day I have been sorely 
tried, and I almost resolved at once and forever to leave the 
work of the ministry and engage in some employment more 
congenial to my feelings, and in which I will not be exposed to 
vicissitudes so painful and unprofitable, of which the present 
is a very unpleasant example." 

After this period his diary is discontinued ; but those who 
were numbered among his intimate friends well know that 
the temptation to desist from preaching never fully forsook 
him. 

After his ordination, in the fifth year of his ministry, he 
was stationed at Cobourg as one of the Teachers in Victoria 
College, and would have been only too happy to have spent the 
residue of his life in connection with that Literary Institution 
— a sphere of life in which there is reason to believe, from his 
peculiar tastes and abilities, he would have won for himself 
no ordinary distinction— but circumstances over which he had 
no control, and which caused him no little grief for many 
years, cut short, at the end of one year, a career upon which 
he had entered, in the hope of a providential escape from the 
life of a Methodist Minister. 



b SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE 

The two following years he was stationed upon the Dundas 
Circuit; during the first of which, in 1843, he was united iu 
marriage, by the Rev. L. Taylor, to Miss Sarah Lafferty, 
daughter of James Lafferty, Esq., of Flamboro' West, a man 
widely known for his hospitality, and universally esteemed as 
an excellent type of the gentleman and christian. A passing 
tribute is also due to Mrs. Spencer's aged mother, whose 
estimable name is as 'ointment pour:d forth wherever she is 
known. 

Mr. Spencer's marriage seems to have been about the only 
thing in his life of which he could confidently say, in this I 
have been providentially directed. 

As a wife, and as a Christian Minister's wife, Mrs. Spencer? 
no doubt, has many equals, but very few superiors. The present 
writer, for the period of one year, enjoyed the high privilege 
of being a member of this family, and feels no ordinary plea- 
sure in being able to say, that in no one of the beautiful charac- 
teristics which enter into king Solomon's description of a wife, 
was she deficient. God gave them nine children, three of 
whom are with their sainted father in heaven. 

The Conference assigned him, as his next field of labour, 
what at that time was known as the Toronto Circuit. From 
this, at the expiration of one year, he removed to the Nelson 
Circuit, where, for three years, he discharged the duties of his 
office with great acceptability and success. 

It was daring this period that he arrested public attention 
as a clear and forcible writer. His letters to the Rev. Alex. 
Pine, published in the Christian Guardian, in which, with a 
masterly hand, he exposed the supreme folly of High Church 
exclusivenevss, and demolished, almost at a blow, the rotten 
fabric of their apostolical succession, pointed him out, at 
once, as the man who possessed the requisite abilities for the 
editorial chair of our connexional organ ; 



Guelpli was his next Circuit, where he enjoyed a greater 
degree of popularity than had ever distinguished the previous 
years of his ministry. The Church in Guelph appreciated 
him as a preacher who had no superior in the ranks of the 
Wesleyan ministry. 

His services, at the end of the second year, were claimed as 
Editor of the Christian Guardian, which office he entered in 
June, 1851, and held, without interruption, during the period 
of nine years. 

The unusual length of time in which he held the lease of 
this office is the best proof of the high appreciation with which 
his services were regarded by the Conference — an unthankful 
position at the best — requiring no common degree of tact and 
ability to satisfy the tastes of the public on the one hand, and 
the views of the Conference on the other. At the close of 
his editorial career, the members of the Conference presented 
him with a beautiful and valuable gold watch, bearing a suit- 
able inscription, as a testimonial of the high esteem with which 
they regarded his able and successful labours in the editorial 
chair. After vacating this office, he was appointed to the 
Brampton Circuit, where, for three years, he was successfully 
employed in the pastoral work, from which for so long a period 
lie had been entirely separated. 

At the Convocation of Victoria College, in May, 1863, 
the honorary degree of Master of Arts was conferred upon 
him, a title of which it was long felt that he was justly 
deserving, because of his solid and varied learning — a title, 
indeed, which in sis months' time, could he have remained in 
College, he would have earned and received many years before. 
At the Conference, in June, 1863, he received his last appoint- 
ment — to the Paris Circuit. He entered upon his work with 
more than usual spirit, and dreamed not of the solemn change 
which so soon awaited him. 



8 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

He was assailed with, a virulent attack of erysipelas that 
baffled every effort of medical skill ; and after two weeks of 
most excruciating suffering, he died, in the 52nd year of his 
age, on Friday, the 9th of October, 1863. 

His sufferings from the first were borne with the utmost 
patience, and in perfect submission to the will of God ; and 
although he never entertained the idea, till the very day of his 
death, that they would terminate fatally, yet much of his 
time was employed in seeking a more intimate acquaintance 
with Christy and a more perfect preparation for his conflict 
with death. 

The writer was commissioned to break to him the unex- 
pected intelligence that he was about to die. He enquired — 
is that the opinion of my physicians ? On being assured that 
all hope of recovery was abandoned, both by them and his 
friends, without the least apparent agitation he closed his eyes 
and engaged in silent and earnest devotion. It was a touching 
scene — a dying man in audience with the living God. The 
agony of his prayers soon gave way before the triumphs of his 
faith. The blessings came in streams. He exclaimed, " I have 
never experienced this before — all Christ's ! I can only see you 
and know you all through Christ. I have loved you before,, 
but never as I love you now." 

His last consecration of himself to God, so deliberately, 
devoutly, and solemnly made, on the confines of an unknown 
world, will never be forgotten by those who were present. 
" My soul, body, affections, powers, memory, will, wife, chil- 
dren, and whatever else beside, are consecrated unto God." 
Being encouraged to believe that God would surely sustain 
him, he replied, " I have always believed that God would not 
forsake me, and I am not aware that I have ever forsaken 
him." 



SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 9 

His afflicted wife tenderly addressed him with, the saluta- 
tions of parting. He answered, " Why should we part ; I do 
not intend to part from you ; we are one in Christ ; I look 
upon this relationship as having to do with both worlds; if 
you do not leave Christ we shall never part." 

Though dying, he seemed to feel that his work was not yet 
completed ; with unusual earnestness he exclaimed, " I should 
like to live to preach, as I never have done, the glorious salva- 
tion of Christ." His soul was rilled with the wondrous theme, 
and, for several minutes, with glowing spirit and in glowing 
language, he descanted upon the sublimity of christian truth 
and comprehensive character of the christian enterprise. The 
most affecting incident in the last hours of this good man was 
occasioned by his own request, that hi3 two eldest daughters 
should sing for him those touching and beautiful lines, com- 
mencing, — 

" Come, sing to me of heaven when I'm about to die." 

And the weeping children sung, while the dying father 
shouted. His joy heightened into rapture, and all present 
seemed to forget the deep sorrows of the chamber of death, in 
the holy transports of one to whom the portals of everlasting 
life were being opened. A short time before he expired, one 
said to him, you are almost home — " Well, then, let me have 
one more shout of victory;" and, summoning all his remaining 
strength, he did shout over and over again, " Glory to God ! 
Glory to God ! Hallelujah ! Hallelujah ! the valley of death 
is not dark ; it is all bright and glorious." The interests of 
his family had exercised much of his anxious thought, but he 
was now able to declare that all anxiety was removed, and 
that he had the most perfect confidence in the guardian care 
of their Heavenly Father. 

Rev. Dr. Wood, whose coming he anxiously awaited, arrived 

B-2 



10 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LI1E. 

only in time to exchange the last salutations of christian 
friendship, and to hear the last declarations of christian 
triumph. 

The funeral services were conducted by the Eevs. Dr. Green, 
(President of the Conference,) and Dr. Wood, (Superintend- 
ent of Missions,) in the presence of an immense concourse of 
sorrowing people. Not less than thirty ministers of the 
Wesleyan and other churches were present. Dr. Green, 
his warm friend, and for many years his colleague in the Con- 
ference establishment, preached an able and appropriate dis- 
course from St. John xi. 25, exhibiting with evident emotion, 
and in suitable terms, many of the qualities and virtues of 
this distinguished servant of God. 

As an humble, unaffected Christian, he always maintained 
the most exemplary character. 

What a man thinks of himself may be best known from 
what he has written upon this personal question, without the 
least expectation th^t it would ever be seen by any eye but 
his own. There can possibly be no motive for deception. A 
few quotations, therefore, from his diary, will afford the best 
testimony as to the character of his Christian experience : 

" When I look into my heart and behold its corruptions, I 
am ready to pass sentence upon myself as an intruder into the 
sacred office. And besides, what good have I ever done; I 
know not of any. I have been told that I have been instru- 
mental in doing good, but I do not know it, nor am I at all 
ready to believe it." 

" that God would pour out his Spirit upon me to qualify 
me for this work. Christ says, without me ye can do nothing. 
If he that trusts in himself is a fool, how many fools are there 
in the world. The Lord has been trying lately to teach me 
this lesson, but my progress is very slow." 



SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 11 

" I am daily more deeply sensible of my need of more faith ; 
a more full conformity to the will of God. Glory to God ! I 
am making some little advancement, and God is reviving his 
work upon the circuit ; sinners have been saved, but the work 
has been done by the instrumentality of others ; as for myself 
I am but a blank." 

" 1 am encouraged. I have heard that my poor efforts have 
been made a blessing to one soul. 1 am more than ever con- 
vinced that without the life of God in the soul, no man can 
preach the gospel with effect. O Lord, revive thy work in 
my heart ! for power to preach with the Holy Ghost sent 
down from heaven! Holy Lord, give this power, and give it 
now !" 

These few of the many quotations that might be given, 
throw open the door of his closet life, and reveal to us the 
Christian in communion with himself and his God. 

By nothing was his christian character more distinguished than 
that of fearless integrity. He utterly abominated all duplicity. 
Straight-forward himself, he demanded straight-forwardness in 
others ; and when he discovered its absence in any, even if it 
were in one who had been his confidential friend, he cast him 
from him as he would a viper, and dealt with him in faith- 
fulness amounting sometimes to severity. Towards human 
infirmity he was deeply compassionate ; towards human 
iniquity almost unmerciful. The last thing in the world with 
which he would be charged, even by his enemies, is hypocrisy ; 
and if he discovered it in others, almost the last thing in the 
world for him to neglect would be its exposure and punish- 
ment. In the execution of his purposes, whether in ordinary 
business or special legislation, he never stooped to avail him- 
self of any unfair advantage. In the councils of Committee 
or debates of Conference, he always felt that that which could 



12 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

not be carried by fair and honest means ought forever to be 
abandoned. 

Not less noticeable was his manly independence. He 
courted no man's favour; he feared no man's displeasure. 
He leaned not even on his friends in the time of trial and con- 
flict, and quailed not before the forces of his opposition, 
however numerous and powerful. He would have scorned the 
suggestion to solicit or to purchase the support of his friends. 
And with equal intensity he would have scorned either to 
solicit or purchase submission from his foes. He thought for 
himself. It was a moral impossibility that he should be a 
mere tool for any man. It was never necessary for him to 
learn other men's judgment before he formed his own. He 
waited not to read other men's arguments before he constructed 
arguments for himself. In him there was no parade of conse- 
quence; by him no flourish of trumpets, and yet he had an 
infinitely greater amount of true courage than those usually 
possess who are accustomed to such display. He hesitated 
not to assail any position, or combination, however formidable, 
even though he questioned the probabilities of success. Nerved 
by the conviction of duty, and encouraged by the considera- 
tion that if he was in tbe right, there was the certainty of 
ultimate triumph. There was in him no such veneration for 
ancient usages and institutions as to awe him into submission 
to their abuses, or to prevent him from laying violent hands 
upon them, if they, in his estimation, stood in the way of 
undoubted rights and privileges. His independence of spirit 
and action was not therefore to be crippled by the decisions 
and acts of former times, any more than by the authority of 
the present. 

Equally worthy of notice was his sincere and disinterested 
friendship. Somewhat phlegmatic in temperament,, he was 



SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 13 

never lavish in the tokens of his attachment, yet they were 
always sufficiently warm and full to strengthen and maintain 
the most affectionate regard. 

By him, friendship was never employed as an instrumen- 
tality in accomplishing personal ends. He never claimed nor 
expected from it that which an intelligent judgment would he 
compelled to refuse. Friendship, with him, was a social 
quality, not a business habit. He loved his friend because 
he was good; not because he was great, and might therefore 
be able to render him service. It was equal to any ordeal, 
however severe ; and no amount of obloquy could possibly 
alienate or weaken it, so long as personal confidence remained 
unshaken. « 

His faithfulness was among the most striking elements of 
his friendship. He candidly told his friends their errors ; 
chastised them for their faults, and warned them of their 
dangers. Many young men, and not a few old men, in the 
Church and in the Conference, have had reason to be grateful 
for his honest and affectionate counsels. 

In his family relations he was most exemplary ; maintain- 
ing at all times the dignity of the Christian Minister, and yet 
freely unbending himself to the social familiarities of domestic 
life. He was devotedly attached to his family. In its bosom 
he experienced his highest earthly enjoyments ; and in its duties 
he was scrupulously and earnestly faithful. Those who did 
not enjoy the privilege of an intimate acquaintance would 
have pronounced him ungenial and unsocial ; yet his genial 
spirits were almost always full to overflowing, and needed 
only the slightest provocation to draw them forth. 

There was a lively humour in the composition of his nature 
which never failed him, and which added not a little to the 
interest of his social intercourse. In his playful moods he 



14 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

was very ironical ; yet his irony was so transparent as never 
to deceive. This peculiarity of character adhered to him to the 
last; in the period of sickness, as well as in the time of perfect 
health ; when dying, as when living. A friend said to him, only 
a few hours before his death, " You are going to leave us 
very soon;" with that playful expression of countenance so 
familiar to the eye of intimate friends, he said, " If I should 
not, I suppose you would all be very much disappointed." 

It is not easy to place a proper estimate upon his value as 
a member and officer of the Conference. Twice the Confer- 
ence honoured him with the Secretaryship, and once with its 
representation to the English Conference.* He was always 
qualified and ready for Conference service. He had acquainted 
himself with the laws, usages, and general polity of the Metho- 
dist Church from the earliest period of its history. He was 
familiar with all the different stages of legislation in our own 
Conference, and was always prompt in the expression of his 
opinion, and decisive in the course of his action. During his 
time there were several questions of vital importance con- 
sidered and settled. One of these was the Union effected 
between the British and Canada Conferences, in which it is 
true he took little or no public part, because of his ministerial 
youth. But private correspondence of that period with lead- 
ing members of the Conference, still existing, affords the surest 
proof of the deep interest he felt in the question, and anxiety 
that all its provisions should be perfectly free from the least 
misconception by the ministers ; and so clearly and fully pre- 
sented to the people as to preclude all possibility of dissatis- 
faction in the future ; and some of his suggestions, in this 
way, it is believed, enter into the details of the articles of 
Union. 



He was Secretary of the Conference at the time of his death. 



SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE, 15 

Another of the questions to which allusion has been made, 
was one which had reference to the more efficient and satis- 
factory working of the Conference system, in which he not only 
took an active but a leading position. Although there are 
honest differences of opinion in respect to the changes effected, 
yet nothing for many years has produced a more general and 
perfect feeling of satisfaction. From the earliest period of the 
history of the Conference in this country, Chairmen of Districts 
received their appointment at the hands of the President.* 
The duties of a Chairman's office are too well known to need 
explanation here. The ministers felt that interests to them, 
more precious than life itself, were in the hands of men over 
whose appointment to office they exercised little control, 
except in the election of the Advisory Committee chosen 
to counsel the President in their appointment ; while it is 
believed that as a rule they exercised their power most con- 
scientiously, yel as the mode of their appointment was at 
variance with the system maintained in the English Confer- 
ence, and with those views of responsible Government, in 
which men in these days are so generally educated, it was 
impossible that the Conference would ever be fully at rest so 
long as this system remained unchanged. It was a change, 
however, to which a respectable number of the ministers would 
reluctantly yield. Their earnest views, and strong prejudices 
must be encountered, and, if possible, overcome. To do this, 
Mr. Spencer would naturally feel that he had a special com- 
mission. Associated with him were men of kindred views 
and spirit. The friendly conflict was carried forward, and 
finally terminated in securing the desired legislation, without 
leaving any perceptible irritation or unpleasantness. It is 

* This system was inherited from the Methodist Conference in 
the United States, to which this Conference formerly belonged. 



16 SKETCH OE THE AUTHOR'S LIEE. 

well enough known that the results of his labours, id this as 
in many other things, were not in exact harmony with his views. 
Still he felt that much had been gained, and time would 
accomplish the rest. 

As a writer, it has very generally been conceded that he 
possessed that certain qualification (whatever it is) which 
renders a man a successful editon Not every good writer is 
therefore a good editor. Talents widely different are those 
which distinguish the ordinary essayist from that of the ordi- 
nary correspondent. Each in the proper sphere of his own 
efforts may command general admiration for unusual ability, 
yet neither the metaphysical style of the one, nor the careless 
rambling style of the other, would impart an influential tone 
to the editorial. The ability to avail himself of the talent by 
which each is distinguished, a happy combination of both in 
the production of editorial matter, gave to Mr. Spencer's 
writings that distinctive character which, as a general rule, 
arrested the attention of newspaper readers ; besides, in almost 
all the controversies in which his pen bore a part, there was a 
constant overflowing of that pleasant humour which was so 
characteristic of his conversation in social life. 

He always proved himself an able defender of Methodist 
doctrines and polity, and an eloquent advocate of the great 
principles of Protestant Christianity, and many a time have 
his opponents been compelled to retreat, withering under the 
pungent sarcasm of his felicitous illustrations and arguments. 

It remains that something should be said of him as a preacher. 
As to the quality of his talents in this respect the less will 
need to be said, as the accompanying volume of sermons will 
afford the most unequivocal testimony. They are selected from 
the earliest as well as the latest period of his ministry, and 
are thought to present a fair sample of his ordinary style and 
ability as a preacher. 



SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 17 

They were never intended for the press, and the editor has 
not felt at liberty to alter the M.S.S. in any material respect ; 
although, therefore, they may fail to exhibit his usual correct- 
ness as a writer, they afford an honest and perfect view of his 
mental preparations for the pulpit. They are not given to the 
public in this form under the impression that they are distin- 
guished by extraordinary originality of conception, or great 
wealth of illustration, but as a sound and dear embodiment of 
Bible instruction on many questions of Christian privilege and 
duty, and a faithful and earnest exhibition of some of the 
fundamental truths of Divine salvation. Many into whose 
bands this work will fall, will readily recognise some sermons 
at least, with which they have already formed a profitable 
acquaintance. It is, however, believed that this will create no 
feeling of regret, as they will now enjoy the opportunity of 
perusing, and studying at their leisure, expositions of Divine 
truth, which, when originally heard, were greatly blest to them 
as the direct deliverances of God. These sermons, like all 
others that he ever delivered, are almost altogether free from 
ornament, and entirely free from display. He had no particu- 
lar taste for the former, and a most utter aversion to the latter. 

Few men ever realised more sensibly the responsibilities of 
the ministerial office. He felt that he was commissioned of 
God to make overtures of reconciliation to the world ; to do 
which, with the parade of human learning and ability,, was in 
his view a wicked trifling with the sacred and solemn questions 
at issue between man and his Maker. It is proper to say that 
the first impressions usually made by him as a preacher were 
very much to his disadvantage. A certain degree of apparent 
embarrassment, hesitancy of speech, and monotony of tone, 
not unfrequently armed his hearers with a prejudice, which 
the substantial qualities of his sermon often failed to remove. 



18 SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 

It is equally just to remark, that a more perfect acquaintance 
with the man, and familiarity with his preaching, rendered his 
intelligent hearers, if not utterly, to a great degree oblivious 
to these imperfections. There were times, however, when even 
first impressions were in his favour, especially on some unusual 
occasion, as in Church Opening or Camp Meeting services, 
when all his powers being fully aroused, he has proved himself 
more than equal to the sanguine expectations of friends, and 
more than a conqueror of all the prejudices with which men 
who never heard him before might be invested. On many 
such occasions, never to be forgotten, he has carried the con- 
gregation as by storm, and truly earned the title of a powerful 
pulpit orator. 

That which is always felt to be the best evidence cf a Minis- 
ter's qualifications, is the conversion of sinners to God. This 
evidence in his case is not wanting. It has been seen how 
humiliating were his views of his efficiency as a Christian 
Minister, and how constantly inclined to ascribe every success 
with which he was connected to the instrumentality of others; 
yet on almost all his fields of labour are to be found the pre- 
cious fruits of his ministry, and in some localities that fruit 
literally abounds. 

As a Superintendent, he was a strict and faithful disciplina- 
rian, exacting a punctual and regular observance of all the 
rules of church membership. As a colleague, always honour- 
able, considerate, and kind. He thought that both duties con- 
tained in the answer to the second question of section third, in 
the book of Discipline, were equally binding: il To see that the 
other ministers or preachers in his circuit behave well and want 
nothing?* 

In concluding this " in memoriam," it is readily acknow- 
ledged that like all other men he had his infirmities, some of 



SKETCH OP THE AUTHOR'S LIFE. 19 

which may have stood in the way of greater usefulness and 
popularity; but it is not the office of friendship, unbroken 
while he was living, and sacredly cherished in memory, now 
that he is dead, to register and proclaim them to the world ; 
and being thoroughly convinced of the purity of his aims and 
integrity of his purposes in all the pursuits and labours of his 
life, the writer believes that if every one of his faults were 
recorded on the same page with his numberless virtues, they 
would in no sensible degree depreciate his pure and noble 
character. 



SERMON I 



THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL MEANS OF 
GRACE. 



And he said unto him. If thou hear not Moses and the 
Prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rose 
prom the dead. 

Luke xvi. 31. 



It is very common for persons to imagine that if they were 
favoured with such and such privileges, which there is no 
probability they will ever enjoy, they would pursue a course 
of conduct very different from that which under the present 
circumstances they are almost compelled to pursue ; or, that 
if they were placed in the situation of such and such persons, 
they would act very different from them, and make a better 
improvement than they do of the advantages they possess. 
If irretrievable losses come upon us, or if we are the subjects 
of sad and hopeless misfortunes, we are ever ready to ascribe 
our adversities to the circumstances in which we were placed, 
rather than to our own misconduct ; and to imagine that if 
we had been favoured with other, and what we may think 
more favourable means, though perhaps in reality altogether 
unnecessary, we would have avoided these calamities, and 
been more successful in our efforts to obtain th§ desire of our 
hearts. Such it appears were the opinions of the character to 



S2 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSFFL 

whom the words of the text were addressed. This parable, 
or as some very properly suppose, this narration of a real 
occurrence of which the text is the conclusion, seems to have 
been particularly designed to rebuke the pride of the Jews, 
who, enriched with outward privileges, treated the Gentiles 
with disdain as being unworthy of a place amongst their dogs; 
and in this representation we have one of the most fearful dis- 
closures of the miseries of a soul lost for ever, which is found 
in the revelations which the Gospel contains. Of the rich 
man here mentioned it is said that he fared sumptuously 
every day, and was clothed in the most costly apparel. But 
his riches could not shield him from the attacks of death. In 
the midst of his worldly pleasures, and when perhaps he 
thought himself most secure, he was seized by the hand of 
death with as little ceremony as was observed in the case of 
the beggar Lazarus who had lain at his gate. But mark the 
different consequences which followed the death of these two 
persons : " And it came to pass that the beggar died and was 
carried by angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man 
also died and was buried. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, 
being in torments.' * Lazaraus was a son of affliction and 
poverty on earth, but an heir of glory in heaven. The rich 
man lived but to enjoy his sensual pleasures, and dying he 
inherited everlasting woes. He lifted up his eyes and seeth 
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom, and he earnestly 
requests that Lazarus might be sent to bring him a little 
Water to mitigate, if possible, his intolerable torments. But 
when he Was informed that this favour, small as it was, could 
not be granted, he requests that an extraordinary messenger 
might be sent from the world of spirits to Warn his brethren, 
and to prevent them from coming to the same wretched place. 
In answer to this request, Abraham informs him that to send 



MEAftS OV GRACE- %8 

Such a messenger was altogether unnecessary, because that his 
brethren were already favoured with every means, and every 
motive necessary to induce them to repent, if they would but 
properly improve them. They have Moses and the prophets, 
let them hear them. He urges his request still further, and 
with all the earnestness of woe he replies, " Nay, Father Abra- 
ham, but if one went unto them from the dead they would 
repent." If some one would go and tell them how much I 
am suffering in these tormenting flames they would repent* 
It is true that they have Moses and the prophets, and if they 
would but attend to what they reveal, it would be sufficient 5 
but they disregard them, and if one would go to them from 
the dead they would perhaps listen to him and repent* 
Abraham, however, insists upon the denial of it, and declares* 
that if the advantages they had were not sufficient to lead 
them to repentance, all other means whatever which might be 
employed would be equally unsuccessful ; that if they were 
so hardened in their sins as not to hear Moses and the pro- 
phets, if they will not hear the testimony, nor take the 
warning they give, neither will they be persuaded though 
one should rise from the dead. 

The great truth which we may learn from the text is this : 
that the means with which we are favoured for securing our 
present and future happiness are abundantly sufficient, if 
properly improved*, to accomplish this important end ; and 
that if these means prove unsuccessful in leading us to repent 
of our sins, and to seek the blessings of salvation, none others 
Will ever be afforded us 5 and even were we favoured with any 
other advantages, and were other efforts employed to bring us 
to repentance, they would be no more likely to prove success- 
ful than those we now possess. 

I. " If they hear not Moses and the prophets*" "By the 



24 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL 

writings of Moses and the prophets we are to understand the 
whole of the Old Testament Scriptures, which were all the 
inspired writings in existence at the time when our Saviour 
was upon the earth, and of these were comprised the Jewish 
Scriptures. They acknowledged their divine authenticity and 
the necessity of obedience to what these Scriptures enjoined, 
in order to escape punishment and obtain eternal life here- 
after. The writings of Moses and the prophets contained 
all the instruction necessary to guide men into the way of 
life and salvation ; they pointed out the only way to heaven, 
and they set forth the most powerful motives to obedience 
by the most glowing descriptions of the happiness of the 
obedient ; while on the other hand the miseries of the 
ungodly and the wicked were portrayed in the most fearful 
light in order to deter them from walking in the way of 
transgression and eternal death. And if any were so hardened 
in their impenitence as not to attend to the instructions 
they contained ; were so fully determined to live on in their 
sins as to be regardless of all the threatenings and woes which 
they pronounced against the sinner; and if none of the con- 
siderations urged by Moses and the prophets were sufficient to 
persuade them to obedience, a messenger from the world of 
spirits would meet with no better success. He could not 
speak with greater authority than Moses spoke ; nor could he 
have urged any more powerful reasons to induce them to 
repent, than those which they already had set forth in those 
writings which they received as a revelation from God. 

But if the declaration of the text was true when applied 
to those who lived under the Jewish dispensation, with how 
much greater force and propriety does it apply to those who 
live, as we do, amidst the luminous blaze of the Gospel light, 
and who are favoured with every means and motive which we 



MEANS OF GRACE, 25 

can possibly desire to enable us to make our calling and 
election sure. Every thing has been done on the part of God 
which he could do consistently with his own perfections and 
the free moral agency of man. God himself asks, '- What 
could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done 
in it ? " What could he have done more than he has done to 
open, and point out the way of salvation ; and what greater 
help could he have afforded to enable us to walk in the way of 
life ? The Gospel which we can read for ourselves contains 
the revelations of God's goodness and mercy to man. By this 
Gospel we are taught our lost and miserable condition by 
nature. In it we behold the unbounded goodness of God and 
the riches of his grace in our redemption by the gift of his 
only-begotten Son, through whose atoning mediation we are 
delivered from sin and death. In this Gospel, also, life and 
death are set before us in the most clear and forcible manner. 
To encourage us to choose life, there are given unto us exceed- 
ing great and precious promises. We are assured that the 
Holy Spirit will be freely given to enable us to repent of our 
sins, to enlighten our minds, to quicken our souls, to sanctify 
our hearts, and to prepare us for a blissful immortality,, Heaven 
with all its glorious joys and rich rewards is set before us to 
excite our hopes, to animate our desires, and increase our 
diligence in seeking the preparation necessary for its enjoy- 
ment. While on the other hand, in order to alarm our fears, 
and to lead us to nee from the wrath to come, the Gospei 
points out to us the fearful consequences of dying in our sins, 
and unfolds to our view, in some measure, the horrors of the 
damned, and the hopeless torments of a lost eternity. Thus 
in the Gospel we have every thing which is really necessary 
for our salvation, the clearest instruction possible, the most 

gracious encouragements, and the most faithful and solemn 
o 



26 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSFEL 

Warnings of our danger. The divinity of this'Gospel is estab* 
lished by incontestible evidence, by the miracles of the 
Author, and by the happy experience of hundreds and 
thousands who, in life and death, liave felt its saving power. 

The doctrines of this Gospel teach us how we may obtain 
the favour of God ; its promises to encourage us to expect all the 
divine help we need in working out the salvation of our souls ) 
it places before us the cheering prospect of obtaining a crown 
of life, and an exceeding and eternal weight of glory as the 
final reward of obedience. It also opens to our view the 
nature of that miserable place which is to be the everlast- 
ing abode of all who live and die in their sins. 

Now, if sinners will not hear the truths of the Gospel, and 
be induced to repent from the powerful reasons by which the 
gospel enforces the necessity of repentance ; if the ordinary 
and special means of grace, and the opportunities which they 
enjoy, fail in producing upon them their designed effect, in 
'' turning them from darkness to light, and from the power of 
Satan unto God, " any other means whatever which might be 
employed would prove equally unsuccessful. If they break 
through all the restraints of the divine law, if they will per- 
sist in turning a deaf ear to all the gracious invitations of 
redeeming love, and the fearful threaten ings of God's fierce 
displeasure, they would be equally deaf to all that a 
messenger from the eternal world could say to induce them to 
repent; they would be no more persuaded by the reasons he 
would urge, than they are by those contained in the Scriptures. 
If they reject the message of divine truth brought from 
heaven by the Son of God, it is not at all likely that a message 
brought by one returning from the place of the dead would 
meet with any more favourable reception. The truth of this 
will appear more clearly if we consider, — 



MEANS OF ORACE. 27 

1st. That a messenger from the dead could not give us any 
information upon the subject of our soul's salvation which we 
do not already possess. The Scriptures, which we have, are 
able to make us wise unto salvation, and one rising from the 
dead could tell us no more concerning our natural depravity ; 
he could not unfold to us more clearly the plan of salvation ; 
nor could he describe in a more attractive and pleasing manner 
the glories of heaven, nor portray in more fearful and repul- 
sive form the miseries of hell, and the horrors of eternal 
death. He might, it is true, relate his own experience and 
tell what he had seen. If he had returned from heaven, he 
might tell us something of the beauty and the pleasures of the 
heavenly mansions ; or, if he should come from the abode of 
lost spirits, he might tell us of the torments of the damned. 
But all the information he could 'possibly give would be 
nothing more than a repetition of what we already possess. 
He could urge no new motive to induce sinners to repent. 

2nd. But again, one from the dead could not speak with 
greater authority and more certainty than the Scriptures speak. 
In the Scriptures we are addressed by the supreme authority 
or the King of kings; his laws were delivered amidst the 
thunderings and lightnings of Sinai, and we have the strong- 
est possible proof of the absolute certainty and the divine 
reality of the truths which the Scriptures reveal. But in 
the case of one returning from the dead, all the authority 
with which he could deliver his message would be that of a 
mere creature ; and after all we might be left in utter doubt, 
without any evidence sufficient to satisfy us of the certainty 
of the things which he declared. Not only so, but in such a 
case we should have much stronger reasons to suspect some 
cunning trick or delusion, than we now have to suspect the 
authenticity of the Scriptures. We have the most positive 



28 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL 

evidence that the Scriptures are not a cunning devised fable, 
and in respect to what they reveal, deception is utterly 
impossible ; but how often have there been instances of 
persons whose minds have been so affected as to imagine that 
they saw ghosts and heard them speak, when in reality all 
that they saw and heard was but the mere picture of their own 
disordered imagination. 

It may be probable according to the account which Josephus 
gives of the wealthy Jews, viz. : that they were mostly Sad- 
ducees who disbelived the doctrines of angels and spirits ; that 
the five brethren of the rich man were of this sect ; and, in the 
opinion of their brother, nothing more was necessary to 
convince and bring them to repentance, than that they should 
be visited by an apparition or spirit from the invisible world. 
But Abraham tells him that if they would not believe this 
truth upon the evidence they already had, one going unto them 
from the dead would afford them no stronger proof, and they 
would be unbelievers, and impenitent after all. The truth of 
this assertion is fully proved in the case of those persons who 
saw another Lazarus raised from the dead, and who, instead 
of being convinced by the miracles, from that moment con- 
spired against the life both of Lazarus and of Christ ; and also 
in the conduct of the soldiers who were the eye-witnesses to 
the resurrection of Christ, and who yet that very day suffered 
themselves to be hired to bear a false testimony against it. 
The testimony of a spirit from the eternal world would not be 
half so convincing as the evidence which proves the divine 
inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and the truths they reveal ; 
and all who refuse to believe the latter, would not be convinced 
by the appearance and testimony of one from the dead. If 
they were infidels and impenitent sinners in the one case, they 
would be equally so in the other. 



MEANS OF GBACE. 29 

We notice further : That a person returning from the dead 
would have no power whatever to change the unbelieving and 
wicked heart of men. It is certain that no human spirit, while 
it is in the body, can persuade another to repent ; can work in 
it an entire change both of heart and life. Nor can we 
suppose that a spirit, when separated from the body, has any 
more power to do this than it had before. Nor is there any- 
thing in the appearance ot one returning from the dead that 
is at all calculated to awaken and convert the sinner. He 
might indeed be frightened and terrified at the apparition, 
but no man was ever frightened into the enjoyment of 
religion. There is no such thing as that, whatever some may 
suppose. Repentance and faith are the work of the judgment 
and of an enlightened and reflecting mind, as well as of the 
feelings ; and it is a wort which the terror created by the 
appearance of one from the dead would render us unable to 
perform ; so that instead of leading us to repentance it would 
produce the contrary effect. We should soon recover from our 
fright, our corruptions would get the better of our fears ; we 
would persuade ourselves perhaps that it was all a delusion, 
and soon return again to our sinful pursuits and worldly 
pleasures. There is nothing less than the power of God can 
produce in the human heart that godly sorrow which worketb. 
repentance unto salvation ; and the ordinary means by which 
this repentance is produced, is not by the appearance of a 
ghost, but by the application of Scriptural truth to the mind 
of the sinner by the power of the Holy Spirit, and thus 
awakening the conscience, informing the judgment, softening 
the heart, and giving that supernatural discovery of the real 
nature and consequences of sin which is absolutely necessary, 
and which leads to the exercise of true repentance. 

There is no other way in which we can be saved. The 



30 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL 

word of God, which is made spirit and life to our souls, by 
the quickening power of the Holy Ghost, is ordinarily the 
means, and this is the only and the all-sufficient means that 
God is pleased to use to bring our dead souls to the possession 
of spiritual life. If we remain impenitent amidst the privi- 
leges of the Gospel, it is only a fatal delusion for us to hope, 
or expect, that any other means which might be employed 
would have any more powerful effect, or greater influence in 
bringing us to repentance. If we harden our hearts against 
the warnings and invitations of the Gospel, visits from the 
dead, or -being dragged through the very belly of hell itself, 
and sent back again to earth, would be utterly ineffectual to 
convert our souls. If all the spirits of the dead were to return 
to earth, and to describe to us in the most glowing terms, both 
the happiness of the saved and the misery of the lost, they 
could not produce one gracious feeling or one good desire in 
our hearts. They might alarm us for the moment by their 
appearance ; and under the momentary excitement thus pro- 
duced, we might, perhaps, utter an unmeaning prayer ; but 
they could not give us that knowledge of our sinful condition 
which is the foundation and beginning of that true repentance 
which the Scriptures enjoin. The means which God has ordained 
for our salvation, and those means alone, are adapted to our 
condition. He has ordained by the foolishness of preaching to 
save them who believe the truths of his word. If through our 
wilful disobedience these means prove ineffectual to our salva- 
tion, as there are none others adapted to our condition, we must 
remain impenitent in our sins and perish forever. It is in 
vain for us to think that the mere circumstance of receiving 
a warning from one who had returned from the dead would 
induce us to repent, after having remained impenitent for 
years, notwithstanding all the warnings we have received from 



MEANS OP GRACE. 31 

God, from his holy prophets, from his only-begotten Son, and 
from his commissioned messengers, who, knowing the terrors of 
the Lord, have endeavoured to persuade us to be reconciled to 
him. 

We have abundant proof of this declaration in the case of 
those persons who have been alarmed by some extraordinary 
occurrence, have for a time appeared to be deeply concerned 
for their safety, but who having no real conviction and sorrow 
for sin, have soon returned to their folly and wickedness. It 
is but a few years since that a very singular phenomenon 
appeared in the heavens — the stars seemed to be falling to the 
earth. Many thinking that the day of judgment was about to 
come were awfully akrmed for a time. But the fearful impres- 
sions thus made soon wore away without producing any 
permanent good, and I never have heard that even a single 
individual sinner was converted to God by its instrumentality, 
although it produced a more general alarm than the return of 
one from the world of spirits could possibly create. I fully 
believe that nineteen out of twenty of those who profess to 
repent on a death-bed, have nothing more than that worldly 
sorrow which the fear of death produces ; and, dying in this 
state, they are lost forever, notwithstanding the fond hopes 
which their surviving friends may entertain of their final safety 
and everlasting happiness. For if we reject the only means of 
salvation, and grieve the Holy Spirit by which we are sealed, 
if sealed at all, unto the day of redemption, we shall be left to 
perish in the fond delusions we have chosen, and then all the 
angels in heaven and the appearance of ten thousand ghosts, 
and all fearful disclosures of the horrors of hell and damnation, 
which the revealing lights of eternity will make, will be utterly 
insufficient to lead us to exercise that repentance which is 
unto eternal life. 



32 SUFFICIENCY OF THE GOSPEL MEANS OF GRACE. 

Now, we have not only Moses and the prophets,, but God 
hath spoken unto us who live in these last days, by his Son. 
He has revealed to us our danger and the way of escape. 
The Holy Spirit is freely imparted to give us repentance and 
the remission of our sins, to sanctify our polluted souls and 
fit us for heaven. If, however, we commit the wilful sin of 
refusing this offered grace and salvation, after having received 
so clear a knowledge of the way to escape that death that never 
dies, and to obtain everlasting life, there remaineth no more 
sacrifice for our sins. No other means will ever be employed 
to bring us to repentance, and we must be left to the fearful 
expectation of meeting that fiery indignation which shall 
devour all the adversaries of the Lord. 

God has done all things necessary for our restoration to his 
favour, and to all the joys of our forfeited inheritance. If» 
therefore, we miss heaven at last, and perish forever, the cause 
of our ruin will be, not in any want of efficiency in the means 
employed for our salvation, but in our own wilful, presumptu- 
ous and persevering disobedience. 

May the Lord save us from this miserable fate for the 
Redeemer's sake ! Amen, 



SERMON II 



THE PDNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 



And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and 
seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

Luke xvi. 23. 



If instead of being addressed on this occasion, as you are 
about to be by one of your fellow-creatures, suppose that a 
person from the eternal -v\orld were suddenly to appear in this 
assembly, and to relate to this audience the history of his own 
life, while he, as we are new, was upon the earth. Should he 
proceed further, and describe to us, with all the eloquence the 
discoveries of eternity can inspire, the nature of his abode in 
that world from which he had just returned, imagine, if you 
can, what would be the unearthly sensations that would pervade 
every breast, at the sight of such an unexpected and unusual 
occurrence. Suppose further, that in relating the history of 
his life he should inform us tha»t he had been just and honest 
in all his dealings with his fellow men, that he had defrauded 
or injured no man ; had lived in peace and friendship with his 
neighbours ; and bad endeavoured, as far as he was able, to 
assist the poor, to supply the wants of the needy, and to relieve 
c2 



34 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE HICH MAN. 

the suffering of the afflicted. Suppose, also, that in addition 
to all this he should tell us that he had been a professed mem- 
ber of the Church of God, strict in his observance of all 
religious rites and ceremonies, that he had been baptized in 
the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, had constantly 
partaken of the Holy Sacrament, and that he had been faith- 
ful in the performance of all his religious duties, how would 
we be astonished, if after giving this fair history of his moral 
and religious life, he should tell us, that notwithstanding these 
good works and fair professions, his soul is lost forever, and he 
is doomed to suffer eternal torments I. Would not some of U3 
feel, and justly feel, while listening to such an address from 
such a speaker, that our fond hopes of heaven were giving 
way ? Ah, should we not be irresistibly constrained to exclaim, 
Surely if that man, after all his good works and pious duties, 
is lost forever, my hopes of heaven are vain ! If he has been 
weighed in the balances and found wanting, how much more 
deficient shall I be found, when my actions are examined and 
the secrets of my heart are tried ? And, oh, if that man, so 
much better than myself, is unfit for heaven, how much more 
destitute am I of the qualification necessary to prepare me for 
that happy place ! If he is doomed to suffer the torments of 
hell, I shall surely be his companion in woe forever. 

Although we may not be permitted to witness such a scene 
with our bodily eyes, yet in this account from which the text 
is selected, we are introduced, as it were, to an inhabitant of 
another world. We have a description of the character he 
bore in this world, together with the most awful account of his 
wretched and hopeless condition in eternity. 

I am aware that there is some difference of opinion existing 
concerning this passage of Scripture, whether it is a history of 
a real occurrence, or merely a parable. It is of but little conse- 



THE PUNISHMENT OP THE BICH MAN. 35 

quence, however, as it respects the truths it contains, in which 
light we consider it, whether as a parable or as a narration. 
If it is a real history, then it is an account of what has taken 
place ; some man has lived and died in the manner here 
described. If it be a parable, then it is a representation of 
what may take place ; some person may live and die and may 
be tormented like this rich man, so that in either case the 
subject is, or ought to be, of equal importance to us ; and it 
reveals truths in which we, as immortal beings, are most deeply 
concerned. 

In the improvement of the subject we shall notice, 
I. The sin of this rich man. 
II. His punishment. 

I. The sin, or the character of this rich man. 

In conversing with persons on the subject of the future 
punishment of the wicked, we are frequently met with this 
objection, — " I cannot believe that God ever made any man to 
be miserable forever." With this sentiment we most cordially 
agree. God has declared with an oath that he has no pleasure 
in the death of the wieked ; and as a further proof of this, he 
has made tie most abundant provision for the present and 
eternal happiness of all his creatures in the gift of his only- 
begotten Son. Certainly, if any are miserable forever, it is 
not because that God has decreed they should be so, but it 
is in consequence of their own misconduct. Now, if this rich 
man is, as the text declares, suffering the torments of hell, he 
must have been guilty cf the commission of some sin or sins, 
for which the punishment he is receiving is but a just reward 
otherwise we could not reconcile his torments with the justice 
of God. 

We sometimes are apt to imagine, when reading the 
description here given of the awfully miserable condition of 



36 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 

this man, that he must certainly have been most notoriously 
■wicked and profane. To this conclusion we may be very 
easily led if we notice merely the account of his punishment 
without attending to the brief and comprehensive description 
of his character. By attentively considering the description 
which this account contains, we may discover what was his 
real character, and the nature of that sin which shut him out 
of heaven and sent him to the place of torment. To this let 
us attend for a few moments. 

1st. In the first place we are told that he was rich. Now 
there is no real harm in being rich. This can never be urged 
as an objection against any man's moral character, provided 
that he has obtained his wealth by fair and honest means. 
Not only is there no harm in being rich, but, we may observe, 
that wealth and riches are blessings promised to the righteous. 
There is no intimation here given that this man acquired his 
riches by any unfair means ; either by dishonest dealing, or by 
grinding the faces of the poor. Not a word of this import is 
spoken, and we are left to conclude, that he obtained the 
riches either by honest industry, or by lawful inheritance. 

2nd. The next thing is, he was clothed in purple and fine 
linen. Now, although this was a very costly dress, yet our 
Lord does not say that in the use of this he exceeded his 
income, nor that he dressed in any more costly manner than 
was really necessary to sustain his rank in life. Nor is it 
said that he used this costly dress as an agent of his crimes^ 
by using the influence thus attached to his person and 
character in corrupting the morals of others. In justification 
of his conduct in this respect he might urge, that the situation 
he occupied in society rendered it necessary for him to be 
clothed in this costly apparel, and that the expense was no 
greater than he could well afford. 



THE PUNISHMENT OP THE RICH MAN. 61 

3rd. Lastly, it is said that he fared sumptuously every day. 
In reference to this part of his conduct, we may observe, that 
the law of Moses, under which this man lived, prohibited 
nothing on this subject but excess in eating and drinking. 
Indeed it seems as if the people under this law were authorized 
to enjoy the sweets of abundance, as the promised rewards of 
obedience. And this rich man, in faring sumptuously, violated 
no divine command. He is not accused of having eaten food 
prohibited by the law, nor with having neglected the fasts and 
abstinences prescribed by it. It is true, he is said to have 
fared sumptuously every day, but our Lord does not intimate 
that this was carried to excess, or that his good living 
ministered to the commission of open wickedness. He is not 
accused of any flagrant crimes, or even of immoral conduct. 
It is not said that he took the name of God in vain, or ever 
spoke an irreverent word against divine revelation, or against 
the ordinances of God. There is no mention made of his 
frequenting any places of folly and wickedness, like our modern 
plays, balls, theatres, card-tables, and horse-races. In a word, 
his moral character is not impeached, nor is he described as 
being guilty of any of those crimes which pervert the soul 
and injure civil society. I know that it is supposed by some 
that he was a hard hearted and uncharitable person, and that 
he refused to bestow upon Lazarus the small favour that he 
desired. But there is nothing in this account from which we 
can infer this. There is on the contrary every reason to 
believe that the request of Lazarus was not rejected. For 
when the rich man desired that Lazarus might be sent to him 
with a little water, it is a strong evidence that he considered 
him under some obligation to him for the favours he had 
received while he lay at his gate ; nor does Abraham intimate 
in his reply that he had been guilty of any such uncharitable 



38 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 

conduct as that of spurning the poor beggar from his door. 
From the account here given of the character of this man, we 
find that so far is he from being represented as a monster of 
inhumanity, intemperance, and wickedness, he is not so 
much as charged with anything which is necessarily sinful. 
He was rich, and he used his riches in clothing and feasting 
well. No other evil is spoken of him. He was what we might 
call a good-natured, careless, and respectable sinner, living at 
ease in the full enjoyment of the abundance of the good things 
he possessed. Not only, as he is here described, was he free 
from outward sins, but he was also a professed member of the 
Church of God. This may be fairly inferred from the manner 
in which he addressed Abraham, and the reply he received. 
He called him, a Father Abraham." And Abraham in reply 
calls him ''son": he acknowledges him as one of his posterity, as 
having descended from, and belonging to, that nation which 
the Lord had chosen for his own people. He was in all 
probability a member of the established church of the Jewish 
nation, and as such he had been circumcised according to 
the law, had eaten of the passover, and had perhaps been 
very zealous in saying his prayers, and strict in his outward 
observance, at least, of all the rites and ceremonies and duties 
enjoined by that Church of which he was a professed member. 
From a careful examination of this person's character we are 
therefore led to the conclusion, that he was a tolerably good 
man, and he would appear not only blameless, but a perfect 
saint in comparison with hundreds and thousands of the 
present day who are vainly dreaming of heaven. 

What then was the sin of this man, and the cause of his 
ruin ? We answer : It was not because he was rich and had 
plenty to eat and to wear, but because these subjects engrossed 
his whole attention, and tempted him to neglect the salvation 



THE PUNISHMENT OP THE RICH MAN. 39 

of his soul. He had his portion in this life ; with that portion 
he was satisfied ; and beyond that he had no serious concern. 
Thus Abraham tells him, '• Son, remember that thou in thy 
life time receivedst thy "good things." This was the root of his 
sin : he received the good things of this world, and did not 
seek the things which are unseen and eternal. It was not the 
use of these good things, but the abuse of them which ruined 
this soul. His affections were plaeed upon the world and not 
upon God. He loved and served the creature more than the 
Creator. He loved the gifts instead of placing his affections 
upon the Giver. He sought his happiness in the things of 
earth. He bore no cross, mortified no desire of the flesh, and 
neglected to seek the salvation which God had provided for 
him. This was his sin, and the sufficient cause of his eternal 
ruin. And the same has been, and will be, the cause of the 
eternal ruin of thousands. Merely to abstain from outward 
sin is not sufficient to prepare the soul for heaven. No matter 
what may be the purity of a man's morals, the uprightness of 
his outward conduct ; if he is a stranger to the inward sancti- 
fying grace of God, he is in danger of perishing forever. 
Nothing less than the possession of the inward power of 
godliness, and an entire conformity of the heart to the spirit 
and mind of Christ will secure the soul's eternal bliss. 
Wherever this is wanting, all hopes of heaven are vain and 
delusive. If this rich man, who is not charged with any gross 
or scandalous sins of whom it is not said that he was a 
dishonest person, a swearer, a drunkard, a Sabbath breaker, or 
a liar ; if he, whose moral character is not even so much as 
impeached, is lost forever, merely because his affections were 
so placed upon the world, as to lead him to neglect the one 
thing needful, how vain are the hopes of thousands in the 
present day, who with far less of even outward morality than 



40 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN* 

this man had, are yet fondly dreaming of heaven. And how 
many such will be most miserably disappointed, when in the 
trying time of death they feel their hopes giving way before 
the revealing light of eternity, and ushered into the eternal 
world they find themselves shut up in the abodes of lost and 
tormented spirits. Perhaps they thought that they were in a 
fair way for heaven ; but lo 1 unexpectedly they sunk down 
to hell. They never so much as dreamed that they were in 
danger of being lost. And why ? just because they were 
not so bad as some others ; and because they were quite as 
good as some who were no better than themselves. This 
is all the foundation which many have of their expecta- 
tions of future safety and happiness. They think because 
they are not guilty of any very great sins, and have per- 
formed some acts of charity, and said a few prayers, that 
all will be well at the last, and heaven will be their sure 
inheritance, although they may really be not half so good as 
this rich man. Jf he was lost forever, how much more certain 
will be their damnation. From all that we can learn from 
this account concerning this man, we may conclude that he 
sustained a pretty fair moral character, and perhaps paid some 
outward attention to the duties of religion ; but he was a 
careless, worldly-minded man, living for this world only ; 
destitute of those holy and spiritual affections which are 
necessary to prepare the soul for the enjoyment of God and 
heaven ; and dying in this state, he was doomed to dwell in 
the torments of hell. 

II. We now proceed to notice the punishment of this rich 
man. The text says, " In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in 
torments." This man, rich as he was, could not escape the 
common lot of all men. Regardless of his wealth, his rank, or 
his good name in the world, he was seized by the hand of 



TH3 PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 41 

death, and removed from the midst of the pleasures of his 
richly furnished mansion to the miseries of his gloomy abode. 
He died and was buried; and very probably his funeral was 
pompous, as his living was grand. No doubt a costly tomb 
received his body ; and the parade and splendour of his burial 
would, if possible, make his t*omb appear to be a place of 
honourable repose. But whither, oh whither had the im- 
mortal spirit fled ? and what was its condition ? To this 
inquiry the words of the text give a mournful reply. The 
next news we hear of him, after the account of his death and 
burial, is, that '' in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torments." 
How awful the change which death produced in his condition ! 
How sudden was his transition from pleasure to pain, and 
from the splendour of an earthly mansion to the fiery dark- 
ness of an eternal dungeon ! See him dying upon his bed of 
down ! Behold him next withering in the torments of ever- 
lasting burnings ! Aroused from the sensual slumbers which 
his wealth had produced, what must have been his surprise 
and horror to find himself separated from God, and suddenly 
enveloped with the tormenting flames. Perhaps neither 
himself nor his friends ever so much as suspected that the 
way in which he had walked could have led to such a misera- 
ble place of perdition. How many dreamers of heaven will 
likewise find themselves at last most miserably disappointed. 
Just when they are expecting to rise to behold the glories of 
heaven, they will sink down to feel the tormenting flames of 
hell. 

Here, then, in this account, we have the place of this rich 
man's confinement, and some instructions given, from which 
we may learn the nature of his torments. He is in hell, or 
in the state of separate souls. Whether or not the spirits of 
the dead go immediately to that place which is to be their 



42 



THE PUNISHMENT OP THE EICH MAN. 



abode forever, we shall not pretend to decide, but it is 
absolutely certain, that as the souls of the faithful enter, 
immediately after death, into the joys of their eternal state ; so 
on the other hand, those who die in their sins, immediately 
begin to suffer the torments which they must endure forever. 
The final abode of the wicked is desribed by our Saviour as 
being a lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, and 
a fire which is unquenchable. This lake of fire was undoubt- 
edly the hell in which this man lifted up his eyes; for he 
declares that the place of his abode was a place of fire : l( I 
am tormented in these flames." Let us a little further 
consider attentively some of the circumstances connected with 
the misery of this, and every lost soul, as portrayed in this 
account. 

1st. It is said that " he lifted up his eyes." There may 
be something awfully significant here intended. Perhaps 
he was afraid to look downwards, or around him. Beneath 
him he could see nothing but a frightful gulf, a bottomless 
and burning pit. All around him were devils and the 
tormented spirits of the lost, and from these scenes of 
surrounding woe he lifts his eyes upwards, but what does 
he behold ? Ah ! he beheld a sight less pleasing than any 
of the rest ; a sight, too, which served only to suffice the 
miseries of his wretched soul. No wonder then that it is 
said he was in torments. Below, around, and above were 
tormenting sights : every object that met his eyes were 
filled with horror, and every sound that struck his ear fell 
with accents of deepest woe. So the text declares not 
merely that he was in torment, but more expressive still, 
that he was in torments. He had woes upon woes, and all 
the circumstances connected with his wretched abode, and 
all the faculties and powers of his mind, were like so many 



THE PUNISHMENT OP THE RICH MAN* 4S 

streams of misery, pouring their bitter waters in ceaseless 
floods upon his guilty soul. To a few of the circumstances 
which enhanced the torments of this rich man we will now 
briefly direct our attention, and whatever we shall find to 
hare been the ingredients of this man's, the same will be 
the mixture that will fill every lost sinner's cup of sorrow. 
The first thing then was, li He seeth Abraham afar off and 
Lazarus in his bosom." To him this was an awful sight? 
indeed, and no doubt aggravated his misery in a very 
alarming degree. He seeth Abraham, the father of his 
own people, and Lazarus, who, perhaps, had belonged to the 
same nation with himself; they were in glory, he in hell a 
This is one circumstance which the Saviour told the Jews 
would aggravate their eternal misery, " Ye shall see 
Abraham and all the prophets in the kingdom of God 
and yourselves thrust out." We may safely conclude from 
this, that the reflection which the lost in hell will for ever 
have to endure, that many of their neighbours and friends 
who had no greater advantages than themselves, are saved, 
while they themselves are lost in consequence of their own 
wilful neglect, will form no small part of their torment. 
Parents will think upon the salvation and eternal 
happiness which their children are enjoying, and chil- 
dren will reflect that their pious parents are saved and 
themselves are lost. could we go to the mouth of the 
pit of darkness, we would hear language sometimes like 
this : " 0," says one, " my father and mother are in heaven, 
and I am shut out. I might have gone there with them 
but I would not." " Ah ! " says another, " my children 
are saved and I am lost. I not only refused to be saved 
myself, but I did all in my power to prevent their salva- 
tion." The husband says, " My wife is happy, and I am 



44 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE EICH MAN. 

miserable; " and the wife in hell will think of her husband in 
heaven; and the brother his sister, and the sister the 
brother. While these sad reflections will pierce their souls 
like ten thousand darts, they will, in addition to these, 
writhe under the resistless conviction that they might have 
enjoyed all that weight of glory, from which, through their 
own fault, they are forever excluded. 

2nd. A second circumstance which will enhance the 
misery of the damned, is the remembrance of the good 
things they enjoyed in this life, together with the recollection 
of the means of grace and the offers of salvation with which 
they were favoured. Thus Abraham says to the rich man, 
" Son remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy 
good things." Remember how many opportunities you had 
to escape hell and prepare for heaven, but you suffered 
your wordly pleasure to engross your whole attention, and 
now you must endure the consequences. how active 
will memory be in tormenting the wicked in hell ! when 
made strong by suffering, it will read over, and forever 
repeat its faithful records of their whole life. Every 
blessing that they have received, every means of grace 
and all the influences of the Holy Spirit with which they 
have been favoured, will there be presented in sad remem- 
brance, and will add a most bitter ingredient to their cup 
of woe. 

3rd. Another circumstance in the misery of this man, 
and of every lost sinner, is the known impossibility of ever 
escaping from the place of torment, and the absence of all 
hope of ever obtaining any alleviation of their pains. 
When this rich man requested that Lazarus might be sent 
£0 him with a little water to cool his burning tongue, he is 
informed that his request could not be granted, for two 



T1IE PUNISHMENT OF TflE KtCH MAN. 45 

reasons t First, — Because the season of mercy ■with him 
Was forever past, and the day of recompense had come* 
u In thy lifetime thou hadst all these goods, but now thoU 
art receiving the punishment due to the abuse of the 
favours which thou didst receive." He tells him, too, that 
another reason why he could obtain no relief Was, that an 
insuperable barrier prevented even the remotest possibility 
of conveying to him the small favour which he desired. 
Thus Abraham says, " And besides all this, 5 ' that is, in 
addition to the fact, that your condition is fixed, and for- 
ever unalterable ; between us and you there is a great gulf 
fixed, so that they who would pass from hence to you 
cannot ; neither can they pass to us, who would come from 
thence. This will be the most awfully aggravating cir» 
cumstance connected with the torments of the damned. 
Their torments will ^continue forever. As they die they 
will remain for ever. When once they have entered 
their wretched abode, there will be no possibility of 
obtaining any mitigation of their miseries* No friendly 
hand will then be reached out to afford them the least 
relief, and no messenger will ever be sent to point out any 
way of escape. The great gulf is fixed, and the irreversible 
decree of heaven dooms them to the bitter anguish of 
eternal despair. Oh ! if the hope of deliverance could but 
reach the lost in hell, how would it illumine and cheer 
the gloom of their dreary abode ! But no such hope will 
ever beam upon them, and when ages more than can be 
numbered have rolled away, the only prospects before them 
will be an eternity of torments. Upon every object that 
will meet their eyes will be written eternity. Every 
empest that will sweep over the sea of living fire, will 
proclaim the fearful reality that their torments areunreliev- 



46 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN, 

able and eternal. This circumstance will, above every other, 
most fearfully increase and render intolerable the torments of 
the damned. Sufferings, however severe, oan be borne with 
comparative ease if there is a prospect of a final termination. 
But the miseries of the lost will be alleviated by no such 
prospect, On the contrary, the eternity of their torments, 
and the utter impossibility of obtaining any relief, will increase 
to an inconceivable extent the horrors and the woes of their 
condition. It is this consideration that will give the sharpest 
point -to every sting, will place the most mournful emphasis on 
every complaint, and will give the strongest energy to the 
groans and sighs which will fill the house of woe. 

4th. Another circumstance which will add to the misery 
of the lost, is the fearful prospect of meeting those in hell who 
have been their companions on earth, and whom they have 
injured and corrupted by their bad example, When the rich 
man found that he could obtain no mitigation of his torments, 
he asks or prays that they may not be increased. He there, 
fore requests that Lazarus might be sent to warn his five 
brethren, and prevent them, if possible, from coming to that 
place of torment. This he did, not because he had any desire 
that they should be saved, but because he did not wish to see 
them in hell. He knew, perhaps, that they had been influenced 
by his bad example to neglect their souls salvation, that he 
had been instrumental in their ruin, and if they came to 
be his companions he was afraid that their upbraidings and 
curses would add tenfold to his already intolerable torments. 

There is no doubt but that those who have been companions 
in sin, and who have strengthened each others hands in wick- 
edness, will add to each others torments when they meet in the 
regions of the damned. Undoubtedly that man, who by the 
extensive influence which he exerted in society has drawn 



THE Punishment oe the rich man* 47 

many after him to eternal ruin, will have his torments greatly 
increased by the presence of those who have been the unhappy 
victims of his bad example, while they will forever load him 
with their curses, and charge him as being the guilty instru- 
ment of their damnation. 

Imagine, if you can> what will be the feelings of ungodly 
parents when they meet their children in hell, whom they 
have encouraged by the powerful influence of a parent's 
example to neglect the salvation of their souls. How awfully 
will their torments be increased while they must forever listen 
to the bitter imprecations of their children cursing them as the 
authors of their ruin. There the husband will torment the 
wife, and the wife the husband, and all who have encouraged 
one another in sin and folly, will, when they meet in the 
world of misery, reproach each other with the most bitter and 
tormenting accusations* 

"Ah 1 " says one, " there is my companion, but for whom I 
might have been saved* When I was serious and just ready 
to give up my heart to God, he pointed at me the linger of 
scorn, and I was led through his influence to grieve the Holy 
Spirit: and but for him I might now be in heaven." Oh! 
they each, with tongues of fire* by their curses, their accusa- 
tions, and their reproaches, increase the other's woe ! 

5th. Lastly, in addition to all these torments of the lost, 
there will be their positive punishment in the flames of hell. 
The rich man says, " I am tormented in this flame." From 
this we. learn that he had other torments than those inflicted 
by the flames of his fiery habitation. These torments will doubt- 
lessly be the keen and bitter reflections of their own minds, 
arising from a vivid recollection of all the circumstances con- 
nected with their ruin ; the privileges they once enjoyed, the 
opportunities they had for securing heaven, and their wilful 



48 THE PUNISHMENT OF THE RICH MAN. 

rejection of offered mercy and grace. Besides this, there will be 
the restless rage of all the unholy passions of their souls ; and 
these will inflict torments as awful and as perpetual as if a 
deathless worm were forever preying upon their vitals. All 
the powers and faculties of their souls will then be in vigorous 
exercise, and each will contribute its full share to complete 
their torments. If such be the alarming condition of the 
damned, if every thing connected with the present condition 
and the future state of the lost will but serve to enhance their 
misery, how very properly does the text declare of this poor, 
lost, unhappy sinner, l< that he was in torments." 

May we never share in this misery, but may we all labour 
to make sure a timely escape by seeking the salvation provided 
for us ! Amen I 



SERMON III. 



THE HEAVENLY HOME, 



In my Father's House are many Mansions : if it were not so, I 

WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU. I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again 

AND RECEIVE YOU UNTO MYSELF ; THAT WHERE I AM, THERE YE MAY 
BE ALSO. 

John xiv. 2, 3. 



How solemn and affecting is the scene, when faithful and 
dearly beloved friends are called to part, to rend those sweet 
and tender ties by which they have been united, and separate 
from each other no more to enjoy their delightful society and 
intercourse. They think of the happy hours they have spent 
together, and of all the pleasing circumstances connected 
with their acquaintance and friendship, and now they reflect 
that these delightful associations are to be broken up, and the 
past scenes which afforded them such unmingled pleasure are 
to recur no more. How painful indeed is the separation of 
beloved friends, if they entertain no prospect of ever meeting 
again to re-enjoy the pleasure of each others' society. 

The words of our text have reference to one of those 
impressive and memorable scenes, the anticipated parting of the 
disciples of the Saviour from their dearly beloved Master. In 



50 ME HEAVENLY HOME, 

the preceding chapter he had been speaking to them of his 
intended departure from the world. He told them that they 
Would see him but a little while longer, and then he would 
depart from them, and they would no more enjoy the pleasure 
of his bodily presence to cheer, to encourage, and to instruct 
them. These things filled them with unfeigned sorrow. They 
could scarcely bear the thought of being- deprived of the 
society of their beloved Master, for whose sake they had 
sacrificed all the endearments of social life, and forsaken their 
wordly employments. The remembrance of the happiness 
they had experienced, while following him, came rushing over 
their minds with powerful force • and they reflect, that this 
happiness must soon end. A gloom is cast over their fondest 
hopes and most pleasing prospects, and we can imagine we 
almost hear them saying, " Our Master is soon to leave us and 
what shall we do ? We shall no more enjoy his company, 
nor hear his charming voice and his profitable conversation. 
We shall be left as children bereaved of a tender parent. He 
"will no more be with us to teach us by his wisdom, to cheer 
us by his promises, to defend us by his power, and all our 
fondly cherished anticipations of sitting down with him in his 
kingdom must now be Jaid in the dust/' And while they 
were almost overwhelmed with sorrow in expectation of losing 
their Master, and in him all their hopes of happiness and 
honour, the Saviour endeavours to soothe their afflicted minds 
by telling them that their sorrow would soon be turned into 
joy ; that although he was about to leave them for a season, 
they would still be the objects of his tender care, and they 
would in a little time see him again and dwell with him 
forever ; and he addresses them in the consoling language 
which commences this chapter : u Let not your heart be 
troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my 



THE HEAVENLY HOME. 51 

Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would 
hare have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if 
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and 
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be 
also." 

If the truth expressed in these words was well calculated to 
afford peculiar encouragement and delight to the first disciples 
of the Saviour, it is equally well adapted to all the followers 
of Christ, in every age and country, and is calculated to 
inspire them with the joyous anticipations of sooner or later 
following their risen and exalted Redeemer to those heavenly 
mansions which he has prepared for his disciples, where, free 
from a world of grief and sin, they shall drink from the pure 
river of life the overflowing streams of pleasure, and enjoy in 
the presence of God, and in communion with the heavenly 
hosts, the fullness of eternal blessedness. 

1st. " In my Father's house are many mansions." The 
place to which our Saviour here alludes is doubtless heaven,, 
the more immediate and peculiar residence of God, and the 
place designed as the future abode of happy spirits. 

The apostle Paul speaks of the same place when he says, 
u We have a building of God, an house not made with hands, 
eternal in the heavens." It is called a house, not a tent or 
a tabernacle merely, but a house, signifying a place of perma- 
nent abode. Here God himself dwells, and makes the most 
glorious display and the brightest manifestations of his majesty, 
his glory, and his goodness. Here also he has made the most 
ample provision for the accommodation and everlasting happi- 
ness of all who believe on the name of his only begotten Son. 
This place he calls his Father's house, and as his Father 
is the Father of all true believers, so in right of their elder 
Brother, they will be welcome to that house as their happy 



5$ Tt£E EEAVENLY HOME. 

home. Of this place the temple of God at Jerusalem, or Zion» 
was a very significant type. Thither all the truly faithful 
resorted at every opportunity to receive instruction, to wor* 
ship God, and to praise him for his mercy and his goodness. 
This place, though glorious as the scene of the divine mani- 
festations) and beautified by the highest efforts of human art, 
was nothing when compared with the glory, the splendour, and 
beauty of the heavenly house of which the Saviour speaks in 
the text. Its glory and beauty far surpass the utmost stretch 
of the most lively imagination to conceive ; and were even the 
richest beauties of nature and of art placed in ornamental 
array in the most splendid earthly palace, they would give us 
but a faint representation of the dazzling splendour and un- 
earthly grandeur of our Father's house above, There will be 
the absence of all imperfection and deformity ; and the pre- 
sence of everything that can add to its beauty, and ail the 
glory and magnificent splendour of that house will concur to 
complete the supreme and perfect felicity of its inhabitants* 

In this house, the test farther says, "there are many 
mansions." It is thought by some that our Lord here alludes 
to the various apartments in the temple, and the vast number 
of people that lodged there. Perhaps the allusion, in a more 
general sense, may be to the palaces of kings, and the various 
apartments which they contained for the accommodation of 
the domestics, and the numerous persons belonging to the 
royal court The original term here used, literally translated* 
signifies, quiet and continued abodes. Our Saviour here 
intends to afford encouragement and comfort to his disciples, 
by assuring them, that in the place to which he was going before 
them, there was ample room to receive them, and everything 
prepared to accommodate them in the most delightful manner. 
These many mansions spoken of in the text are doubtless 



THE HEAVENLY HOME. 53 

designed to teach us, that in heaven there is sufficient room 
for the millions of redeemed and blood-washed spirits who 
shall finally inherit that happy place as their everlasting home. 
So ample is that place, or to use the figure of the text, so 
numerous are those heavenly mansions, that no one faithful 
soul will lack for room, or want any of the accommodations 
necessary to render his happiness complete. All will find 
mansions there prepared for their reception, none will be left 
to wander homeless and destitute. The people of God, while 
in this world, are many of them afflicted and poor, and like 
their Divine Master, have not any place to lay their head 
which they may call their own ; but in heaven it will not be 
so. Poor as they may have been in this world, in the 
heavenly mansions in their Father's house they will have a 
splendid dwelling, and everything that their hearts can desire. 
They belong to the royal family of the King of kings, and they 
will finally inhabit the many mansions of the heavenly palace, 
and enjoy all the riches, the glory, and the bliss of their 
delightful abode. The glory of these heavenly mansions far 
surpasses our most vivid conceptions. Imagine for a moment 
you behold an earthly palace, beautified with all the ornaments 
that the highest efforts of art can produce and furnished 
with the richest provisions and dainties, that the most fruitful 
climate affords, and you have but a faint and imperfect 
representation of the heavenly mansions in which the 
followers of the Saviour shall hereafter dwell. 

This place is to be their abode forever. Here they are but 
pilgrims and sojourners, dwelling a while in tents below, and 
wandering to and fro, but in heaven they will have a perma- 
nent and everlasting home, imperishable as the throne of God 
itself, and durable as the days of eternity. Thither will be 
gathered the saints of every age and country. Each will take 



54 THE HEAVENLY HOME. 

possession of his celestial mansion, and there he will abide 
forever. 

The Saviour not only tells them that there are many 
mansions in his Father's house, but he gives them the positive 
assurance of it in order to remove all doubt and uncertainty, 
il If it were not so, I would have told you before.'' I saw you 
forsake your worldly employments to follow me in hope of 
obtaining a reward ;#and if there had been no reward for my 
disciples, I would have told you immediately, and would not 
have suffered you to be deceived by false hopes and delusive 
expectations. I would not have encouraged you to follow me 
at the loss of all things, if I had not an eternal recompense to 
bestow upon you. The sincerity of my affection for you would 
have prevented me from deceiving you ; and if there were no 
mansions in my Father's house where you might dwell 
forever, or if there had been none for you, I would long ago 
have told you. The disciples of the Saviour in every age and 
country have the best of reasons for the hopes of a future rest 
which they entertain. The ground of their hopes is the 
goodness and unchangeable veracity of God. 

He cannot lie, nor can he deceive or disappoint the expect- 
ations of those who trust in him. He has prepared a glorious 
place of habitation for all who obey him in truth and sincerity, 
and all the promises he has given to his faithful servants 
encourage them to expect, that when the days of their earthly 
pilgrimage are numbered and over, that they will be admitted 
to the house not made with hands, and dwell in the presence 
of their exalted Redeemer and glorious Creator, and with him 
in their heavenly home enjoy the fullness of eternal joys. 
This everlasting reward is secured to them by the faithful 
promises of God ; by those promises none of which can ever 
fail until all are fulfilled ; and sooner shall heaven and earth 



THE HEAVENLY HOME. 55 

pass away than the hopes of the followers of Christ be cut off. 
To all he gives the assurance that they are the heirs of that 
incorruptible inheritance which is reserved in heaven for them 
who are kept by the power of God through faith until the day 
appointed for administering unto the heirs of immortality, 
an entrance into their happy and everlasting home ; and 
although they cannot see with the natural eye the mansions 
of glory prepared for them, yet they may rest fully assured 
that there is a heavenly house waiting to receive them when- 
ever this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved. To all his 
faithful followers the Saviour still says: i( If it were not so, I 
would have told you." You need not fear of being disap- 
pointed at last. There are many mansions in my Father's 
house, and there are mansions for you. If you continue 
faithful until death, you shall be admitted into them, and 
enjoy to all eternity the pleasures and delights prepared for 
you in your heavenly home. 

But he further informs his disciples, that one cause of his 
leaving them was to prepare a place in those mansions, and 
make it ready for their reception : I go to prepare a place for 
you ; and so far from sorrowing on account of my intended 
departure, you ought to rejoice and be exceeding glad, because 
my short absence from you will be to you eternal gain. You 
should not consider my departure as an evidence of any want 
of affection on my part towards you, seeing that the very 
reason why I am going to leave you for a season is on your 
own account. You can stay but a short time in this world, 
soon you must leave it ; and I am only going a little while 
before you to prepare for you an eternal home. 

There is probably here an allusion to the custom of kings 
and princes, and sometimes of illustrious noblemen ; when 
about to visit or remove to another country, they sent servants 



56 THE HEAVEKLY HOME. 

or courtiers before them to prepare for their accommodation, 
who having made the necessary preparations returned in order 
to conduct their masters thither. 

Our Saviour here represents himself as a forerunner, going 
before to prepare a place for the reception of his disciples. In 
this character he is also represented by Paul, in the epistle 
to the Hebrews, where he says, " Whither the forerunner is 
for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest forever after 
the order of Melchisedec. - " Again he says : (l It was therefore 
necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be 
purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with 
better sacrifices than these ; for Christ is not entered into 
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of 
the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the pre- 
sence of God for us ; " and it is in this sense we are doubt- 
less to understand him as preparing a place for his people. 
He consecrated the heavenly place by the shedding of his 
blood, or by the atoning sacrifice of himself he has removed 
every obstruction out of the way of the entrance into the 
heavenly mansions, and made the most ample provision to fit 
man, depraved as he is, to dwell forever in the presence of God. 
And it may very properly be said, that he has gone to prepare 
a place for his people, because, as the great High Priest of 
the human family, he has ascended to the righ^ hand of God, 
where he ever liveth to make intercession for them. He is 
there exalted a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to 
Israel and remission of sins. He pleads the merits of his 
death on their behalf; he sends down the Holy Spirit to 
enlighten, to convince, to convert, and to sanctify those who 
will accept his grace. He prepares a place for all who believe 
on his name and become his disciples, by preparing them for a 
place in heaven through the sanctifying influences of his Spirit, 



THE HEAVENLY HOME, 57 

making them meet for an inheritance among the saints in 
light. It is for this purpose that he has ascended into heaven 
and is now seated at the right hand of God, there to make 
intercession for the purchase of his blood, and to shed down 
those heavenly influences which purify the hearts of those who 
believe on his name, and fit them, by true holiness, to dwell in 
the mansions of immortal blessedness in the better house 
above. And that work of grace which he carries on in the 
world, in effecting the conversion of sinners and the sanctifi- 
cation of believers, is the work which he, as the Saviour of 
the world, has gone away into heaven to accomplish. This is, 
doubtless, the real meaning of what he said to his disciples, 
I go to prepare a place for you. And he declared to his 
disciples, on another occasion, that it was expedient for them 
that he should go away in order that they might receive the 
Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, whom he would send as 
the Great Agent to prepare them for their home in heaven. 

But he gives his disciples the assurance that when he should 
have accomplished the object of his absence, he would return 
again, " And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come 
again, and receive you to myself, that where I am, there ye 
may be also.'' Ye need not be overcome with sorrow ; my 
absence from you will be but short, and all that time I shall 
be employed in preparing for you a place where you may dwell 
with me forever, without ever again having to feel the sorrows 
of separation. For I will come again and receive you to 
myself. 

The idea of a forerunner is here still preserved, who after 
he had prepared for the entertainment of a guest, used to return 
in order to introduce him into the place prepared for him. 

This coming again of the Saviour ultimately, refers to his 
solemn appearance at the last day to receive all his servants 



58 THE HEAVENLY HOME. 

into the kingdom of eternal glory, and to put them in posses- 
sion of their full reward in heaven. Yet this admits of a more 
particular application ; and the death of every faithful Chris- 
tian may be regarded as the coming of the Saviour to bring 
him home. Heaven is the home of the faithful believer, death 
is the period which terminates his trials, and introduces him 
into the presence of his adorable Redeemer, and to the 
heavenly mansions prepared to receive his ransomed spirit. 
With this consideration of the nature of death, under what a 
pleasing aspect does it present itself to the faithful Christian. 
He views it not as a real enemy, but as a welcome friend ; not 
as an angry summons, but as a pleasing message from his 
dearest friend. He looks upon it, not as the extinguisher of 
his hopes, but as the opening dawn of his brightest expecta- 
tions. In a word, he views death as the promised return of 
the Saviour to receive him to himself: and while waiting in 
patient expectation of his coming, he can sing with the poet : 

" Surely he will not long delay : 

I hear his spirit cry, 
Arise, my love, make haste away ! 

Go, get thee up, and die. 
O'er death, who now has lost his sting, 

I give thee victory, 
And with me my reward I bring, 
I bring my heaven for thee." 

And why should the Christian fear to die, since death to 
him is nothing less than the coming of his Saviour to receive 
him to the heavenly mansions. Ah ! said an old saint when 
about to die, who was asked if he was afraid of death ; " Afraid 
of death!" he replied, "what would you think of a person 
who had travelled hundreds of miles in order to visit his dearest 
friend, and after he had accomplished his journey and arrived 
at the door of his friend, should then he be afraid to enter ? 
Do you think that after I have travelled so many years in 



THE HEAVENLY HOME. 59 

order to reach my heavenly home, now that my Saviour has 
come to open the door and receive me, I should be afraid to 
enter ? No, no. I have not so learned Christ." And with 
the joyful confidence of this dying saint, may every Christian 
view the scene of death as his entrance to his heavenly home. 
* l That where I am, there ye may be also." The mansions 
prepared for the disciples are the dwellings of the Saviour 
himself. There shall be the Master and the servant together. 
To understand the peculiar force of this, we must remember 
that in Eastern countries the servants were admitted into the 
apartments of their masters only to perform the duties of a 
servant's office, or when they had some special business. But 
the Saviour says, Where I am, there shall my servants 
be. They shall dwell in his presence and enjoy his society 
continually. 

Are we the disciples of the Saviour ? and are we giving all 
diligence to purify ourselves even as he is pure, so that when 
he shall appear we may be like him, and see him as he is ? 

May the Lord grant that we may be found faithful servants, 
always waiting for his coming! Amen. 



SERMON IT. 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 



Christ crucified the power. of God, and the wisdom of God. 

1 Corinthians, i. 24. 



The manner of the Divine procedure* in all the operations 
of his providence, is to accomplish the greatest effects by the 
most simple means that can possibly be employed with success. 
"Nor is this mode of operation adopted, because of any want of 
an abundance of materials at the disposal of the omnipotent 
Producer of all things, but results solely from the perfection of 
that wisdom which views at a single glance all the possibilities 
of events, and which will never employ complicated means 
when those which are most simple will accomplish the same 
desired end. The Lord seeth not as man seeth, and it is 
generally the case that those plans in which the highest exercise 
of infinite wisdom is displayed for the purpose of effecting an 
important' design, appear in the estimation of men to be not 
only insufficient, but even under the aspect of foolishness. 
This has been the case especially with respect to the manner 
in which the great and glorious work of human redemption 
has been accomplished. Although in this work there is really 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED, 61 

the most brilliant manifestation of all the perfections of Jehovah , 
yet it has ever been regarded by man, while under the dark- 
ening and perverting influence of his fallen nature, with 
indifference and contempt, as displaying norfe of those charac- 
teristics of wisdom which any system should possess in order 
to receive the approval of a rational intelligence. The doctrine 
of Christ crucified, as the means of the salvation of a perishing 
world, was, perhaps, the most unwelcome and repulsive that 
could have been preached in the days of the apostles, and the 
people amongst whom they commenced their labours. To the 
Jews this doctrine was a stumbling block. Salvation, through 
a crucified Saviour, was a doctrine which struck a death-blow 
at the foundation of all their fond hopes of civil liberty and 
temporal grandeur and prosperity. They looked for a Messiah 
who was to sit upon the throne of David, and in the progress 
of his illustrious achievements, was to deliver them from the 
Roman yoke and raise them to a pre-eminent position amongst 
the nations of the earth. But how it was possible that he who 
was put to death as a malefactor could fulfill their expectations, 
they could not possibly understand. To the polished and 
philosophical Greeks this doctrine appeared to be nothing less 
than foolishness, when compared with their own systems of reli- 
gion and philosophy in which they gloried, and of which they 
made their boast. Accustomed to the parade and splendour 
of their own ceremonies and performances, they were always 
apt to conclude that no great effects could be produced where 
there was not a splendid display connected with the means to 
be employed. Hence they regarded the agents employed in 
preaching the doctrine of Christ crucified as foolish and 
presumptuous in the extreme, that they should suppose, even 
for a moment, that the great end at which the Gospel aimed 
could be accomplished by the use of means apparently so simple 



62 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

and devoid of power. But while to these two classes of persons 
the doctrine of the Cross presented itself, to the one as a stum- 
bling block, and to the other as foolishness, and from both met 
with a most hearty rejection, to those who were called of God, 
and who permitted the light of Divine truth to make a discovery 
of their real, miserable, and perishing condition, it appeared 
under a different aspect, as being the brightest display of the 
power and the wisdom of God. To the brief consideration of 
these two topics our attention will be directed. 

I. We are to consider, first, the doctrine of " Christ Cruci- 
fied" as a glorious manifestation of the power of God. The 
great truth that man has destroyed himself, though repulsive 
to the pride of our fallen nature, is one which is deeply felt, 
and its consequences fearfully anticipated by every truly 
awakened and penitent soul. 

Created for the enjoyment of pure and spiritual pleasures, 
and an heir to all the honours, joys, ennobling and dignified 
employments of which his nature renders him capable, through 
his disobedience he has lost all that he once possessed, and in 
his fallen state he has become an heir of misery ; the slave of 
sin and Satan ; the unhappy victim of fierce and discordant 
passions ; a criminal, tormented with the perpetual apprehension 
of future punishment ; a punishment which includes in itself 
the loss of all that is really valuable to the immortal spirit, and 
the positive infliction of all that can conduce to render it 
completely and forever miserable. Not only has man thus 
destroyed himself by his sins, but he is also utterly unable to 
effect his own recovery. None of them, says the Psalmist, 
can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom 
for him. He has contracted guilt for which he cannot atone; 
he has drawn upon himself miseries which he eannot avoid ; 
forged for himself chains of bondage which he cannot break, 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 68 

and exposed himself to dangers from which neither his own 
wisdom nor strength can furnish him with any way or means 
to escape. 

Whence, then, we may inquire, shall his salvation proceed ? 
and how is he to be rescued from his guilt, his misery, and 
danger ? We answer, in accordance with the language of the 
text, the doctrine of Christ crucified directs our attention to 
the only sure foundation of a sinner's hope, and furnishes us 
with a manifestation of that stupendous display of the power 
of God, which is the only means of the salvation of a perishing 
world. We here learn that salvation is of God, by the exertion 
of his omnipotence through the medium of a crucified Redeemer. 
Let us then for a moment examine the moral efficiency of the 
doctrine of Christ crucified as displayed in the salvation of 
sinners. That it is eminently the power of God to salvation 
to all of every name and nation who comply with its require- 
ments, is equally true, whether we consider its effects as 
produced upon individuals in particular, or upon mankind 
collectively. Let us take for example the case of an awakened 
sinner, labouring under the consciousness of the divine displea- 
sure, which he has incurred by his sins, and tormented with 
the most fearful apprehensions of future misery in the eternal 
world. By what means shall he be delivered from his guilty 
fears, or to what resource shall he flee to obtain that assurance 
of safety which is absolutely necessary to quiet the alarming 
apprehensions of his mind ? If a Jew, he might endeavour 
to find an antidote for his fears in the observance of the cere- 
monies, or the practice of the duties of the law, and thus 
attempt to create in his heart the hope of eternal life. If a 
Greek, he might resort to their systems of ethical philosophy, 
their defective morality, and idolatrous religion, and by some, 
or all of these means seek rest for his burdened or disquieted 



64 CHRIST CRUCIFIED, 

spirit, and a defence against anticipated future evils. But alas ! 
all these would be of no avail. The law would pronounce its 
curse upon the Jew, and would but serve to increase rather 
than quiet his fears, and impose a more weighty burden instead 
of removing the load from his sinking soul. It spoke to him 
in language which neither offered the deliverance he sought, 
nor breathed the slightest emotion of compassion : " By the 
deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." The pretended 
wisdom of the Greeks, instead of directing its votaries to the 
attainment of true and permanent happiness, shed only a 
deeper gloom upon the moral destiny of man, and served rather 
to perplex and bewilder those who were influenced by its 
precepts, than to guide them into the way of peace. The 
world, by all its boasted wisdom, never furnished a solution to 
the problem, How shall man be just to his Maker ? It never 
answered that question of all absorbing interest to the immor- 
tal soul, What shall I do to be saved ? Inquire we of the 
law ? its answer is a curse. Or do we go to seek a response 
from the once-thought omniscient oracles of Greece and Rome? 
their silence proclaims their ignorance. But when from every 
other source salvation has been sought in vain, the doctrine of 
Christ crucified comes to our relief, unfolds the mystery of 
human redemption, and presents us with the omnipotence of 
Jehovah as the foundation of our hope. Here is help laid 
upon one who is mighty and able to save to the uttermost. Is 
the awakened sinner weighed down under a consciousness of 
having contracted an enormous amount of guilt ? In Christ 
crucified he is brought to the very throne of the Majesty of 
Heaven, and receives a free pardon from the Supreme Authority. 
Is his soul disquieted with alarming apprehensions of impending 
judgments for his iniquities ? in the doctrine of the Cross, 
he hears a voice which dissipates all his fears, and enables him 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 



65 



to look up with confidence, and in hope to behold his inheri- 
tance in heaven. Christ crucified is to him the power of God 
to salvation from condemnation, from misery, and future woe. 

Behold again that wretched slave of every vice, taken captive 
by the devil at his will, and the unhappy victim of the fiercest 
passions that agitate the fallen soul ; the pest of society, and 
a source of sorrow to all with whom he may associate. View 
again that same individual, but under another character, trans- 
formed and renewed in the spirit of his mind ; meek and humble 
in his disposition, possessing in his heart a peace which passeth 
understanding, and his whole soul breathing good will to all 
mankind. We ask for the cause of this wonderful change, and 
the source from which have proceeded the elements of this 
moral transformation. Shall we find it in the inventions of 
men % No : nor in the strongest combinations of human power • 
nor in the highest efforts of human skill. The utmost stretch 
of man's wisdom never yet succeeded in devising a plan for 
breaking the weakest chains of the sinner's bondage, or for 
transforming the tamest passion of his fallen soul. The preach- 
ing of Christ crucified unfolds the mysterious source of his 
salvation, and the almighty agency employed in accomplishing 
the glorious work of his spiritual regeneration. It is the power 
of God. It is this that opens his eyes and turns him from 
darkness to light, delivers him from the power of Satan and 
from the dominion of his unholy appetites and passions ; restores 
his captive soul to spiritual freedom, and to the enjoyment of 
those permanent pleasures which are the delightful foretastes 
of his future bliss in heaven. 

But there is also in the doctrine of Christ crucified a glori- 
ous display of the power of God, if we examine its effects in 
reference to the people of God in their diversified circumstances 
of trial and affliction. This has been the foundation of the 



66 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

hope of all the pious in every age, and the unfailing source of 
those inspiring joys which animated their hearts, and sustained 
them in the performance of their heroic deeds while contending 
against the hostile legions of the world. Here we find the 
secret source which supported the courage, and kindled the zeal 
of the Apostles of the Saviour, which bore them up triumphant 
over all the opposition of their enemies, and rendered them 
victorious and even more than conquerors, while in appearance 
suffering the loss of all things. Sustained by the divine power 
displayed in the doctrine of Christ crucified, the martyrs have 
met death in its most terrific forms, and without the shadow of 
a fear have ascended in triumph from the scene of their fiercest 
conflict to their final rest in heaven. 

The last enemy of man is death, but even from the terrific 
aspect of this foe, the doctrine of Christ crucified furnishes the 
believer with an effectual antidote. Job could say, '' I know 
that my Redeemer liveth," &c. : Job xix. 25-27. The Psalmist, 
i( Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," 
&c. : Psa. xxiii. 4. The Apostle Paul, " I am now ready to 
be offered," &c. 2 Tim'y iv. 6. 

But do you wish for a practical manifestation of the power 
of God, as displayed in the doctrine of Christ crucified in the 
salvation of sinners, even in the very last extremity of their 
earthly existence, and under the most trying circumstances, 
go and witness the death-bed scene of that timid sister, who, 
perhaps, in the full vigour of youthful health, would start at 
the sound of the most gentle rustling of the leaf moved by the 
softest evening breeze. What would you expect to behold? 
Female tenderness yielding to shivering fear in the presence of 
the grim monster death? You see, instead, heroic courage 
advancing in triumph to meet the last, and that a conquered, 
enemy. Does she shrink from the final contest with the king 



OHKIST CKUCIFIED. 67 

of terrors ? No : but hear her call for the speedy approach 
of her foe : 

M Vital spark of heavenly flame, 

Quit, quit this mortal frame ; 

Trembling, hoping, lingering, FLYING-, 

the pain, the bliss of dying !" 

She perhaps sometimes trembled in the anticipation that the 
last struggle would exceed the measure of her strength ; but 
now that the hour has come, and all her fears are dissipated, 
in joyful surprise she inquires : 

" Tell me, my soul, can this be death?' 

Can this be death ? so different from what I expected ? Why, 
I thought it would appear to me as the king of terrors, but 
it comes as a messenger of peace, whose approach I can hail 
with joy. I once thought that my courage would fail me at 
the most distant appearance of the grim monster ; but now, in 
delightful composure, I await his last grasp, and — ■ 

" Sink in blissful dreams away, 
And visions of eternal day." 

And while we witness this scene of holy triumph, we ask the 
secret of that mysterious power which enables the weakness of 
fallen humanity to triumph over its final foe. Why is it that 
we behold a timid female approaching death, not only without 
the shadow of a rising fear, but even with all the courage that 
the hero of a thousand battles marches at the head of his well- 
tried legions to meet an inferior and cowardly foe ? We 
answer, that the doctrine of Christ crucified reveals to us the 
secret source of that strength which sustains, and that courage 
which inspires, the dying saint with the ability to shout with 
expiring breath, " Thanks be unto God who giveth us the 
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Remove this, the only sure foundation of the sinner's hopes, 
and you leave him, like Noah's dove, without the shadow of a 



68 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

place on which he will dare to set the sole of his foot. Break 
off this horn from the altar of God, and there is none other to 
which he can cling to save himself from the avenger of blood. 
Take away this sun, whose rays are beginning to gild his celestial 
horizon, and you translate the dying saint from the full morn- 
ing light of heaven's own perfect day, to darkness, dense and 
dreary as the midnight of eternity. it is the doctrine of 
the Cross that is the power of God to the salvation of the soul 
in the hour of death ! This is the sun to illumine and cheer 
the valley of the shadow of death ; the true polar star to guide 
him into the haven of his desired rest. This is the sword and 
the shield of the Christian soldier. Equipped with the armour 
of righteousness, through faith in the blood of the cross, and 
strengthened by the omnipotence of Jehovah, he is enabled to 
shout in the language of the conqueror, laden with the spoils 
of victory : " Nay, in all these things we are more than con- 
querors." We have not only conquered the enemy, but we 
have also seized the crown, and taken possession of the king- 
dom. Christ crucified, then, is indeed the power of God to 
salvation in every stage of the progress of the soul, from 
the lowest degree of degradation until it reaches its highest 
point of elevation in the heavens. At whatever period in the 
progressive work of a sinner's salvation we enquire for the 
cause of this mysterious moral transformation of the fallen 
soul, we hear but one reply, Christ crucified is the power of God 
to his salvation. Take him dead in trespasses and sins, Christ 
crucified furnishes him with the elements of a new life. View 
him as a self-destroyer, Christ crucified is to him the power of 
God as the agent of a new creation. Behold him sitting in the 
dense darkness of moral night; from the cross, as a centre, 
radiate those beams which shed into the dungeon of his soul 
the incipient splendours of the light of heaven. But consider 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 69 

him under whatever circumstances you may, in prosperity or 
in adversity, laden with guilt or with a conscience void of 
offence, in the full vigour of health or wasted by the ravages of 
disease, in time or in eternity* it is equally true, that Christ 
crucified is the power of God to his salvation. 

Nor is the doctrine of Christ crucified less eminently the 
power of G-od to salvation, if we consider its effects upon man- 
kind collectively, or upon the nations of the earth. 

The Apostles could speak of the moral efficiency of this 
doctrine from what they had witnessed of its effects. Consider 
for a moment the condition of the world at the time when they 
commenced their labours. It was divided into two great classes 
called Jews and Gentiles, both equally indisposed, though for 
different reasons, to receive the doctrines of the gospel. The 
Jews were most firmly attached to the rites and ceremonies of 
the religion of their fathers, and filled with a fiery zeal against 
everything that might come in contact with their opinions and 
fond expectations of worldly grandeur. The Gentiles were 
almost wholly given to the most debasing idolatry, involved in 
the deepest moral gloom, and sunk into the lowest state of 
misery to which the unrestrained exercise of the fiercest passions 
of fallen nature could reduce them. Now, although the Apostles 
had to contend with the bigotry and corrupt traditionary 
opinions of the Jewish people, and with the venerable and 
fondly cherished superstitions of the heathen world, yet they 
went forth in their work without the aid of human learning, 
of wealth, or the influence of civil or military power. The 
message they bore was of the most unwelcome nature ; the 
doctrine they preached, in addition to being most offensive to 
the pride of fallen nature, was especially displeasing to their 
Jewish and Grecian or Gentile hearers, and one most likely not 
only to be utterly rejected by them, but also to excite their 



70 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

fiercest indignation. Christ crucified was the subject of their 
preaching wherever they went and to whomsoever they preached. 
Here, then> were a few individuals of obscure origin, com- 
mencing an aggressive movement against the combined hostility 
of the world, making an attempt to uproot the customs and 
opinions which had received the sanction of a long succession 
of ages. Human reason would have condemned the enterprise 
as rash and foolish in the extreme. But witness the result. 
They opened their mission under a most glorious manifestation 
of the power of God, as displayed in the doctrine of Christ 
crucified. The scenes of Pentecost revealed to an astonished 
multitude the moral efficiency of that engine which was finally 
to move a world lying in spiritual death. Nor were the first 
effects of the preaching of this doctrine more astonishing and 
glorious than those which followed the successive ministrations 
of the Apostles. Wherever they went, they saw the displays 
of the power of God. Signs and wonders followed in their 
track ; the bigotry of Jewish prejudice yielded to the over- 
whelming manifestations of Divine power ; the haughtiness Of 
Boman pride bowed and submitted to wear the yoke of him 
who is meek and lowly in heart ; the idols of the heathen 
disappeared in rapid succession, and the knees of nations bowed 
to the name of Jesus and yielded to the sceptre of the cross. 
Who would have thought that by the use of means, apparently 
so simple and powerless, such astonishing effects would have 
been produced ? Who would have believed that twelve men, 
few, perhaps none, of whom sustained any higher rank in 
society than that of fishermen, could have continued for any 
length of time to publish, even in the most obscure places of 
the Roman empire, a message of such an offensive nature as 
the one with which they were entrusted ? Last of all, would 
the idea have been entertained that these men would preach the 



CSKIST CRUCIFIED. 71 

doctrine of a crucified Saviour in Jerusalem itself, the repre- 
sentative of Jewish bigotry ; in Rome, the proud and luxuri- 
ous metropolis of universal empire ; and in Athens and 
Corinth, the seats of the arts and sciences, and the universities 
of the civilized world. But what does history testify ] Why 
it teaches us that the very first sermon they preached was in 
Jerusalem ; and that, too, while the hands of the murderers 
of the Messiah were yet stained with his blood. Witness the 
result : even in Jerusalem* the guilty repository of all the 
righteous blood that had been shed from that of Abel, three 
thousand marked with the blood of the Just One were made 
the willing subjects of grace through faith in the blood of the 
cross. And from that time how rapidly did the Gospel spread? 
bearing down all opposition in its progress, until the banners 
of the cross waved in triumph over the throne of the Csesars, 
and Rome, powerful in arms, was forced to confess the superior 
power of the Gospel. Here we see the effects— do we inquire 
for the cause by which they were produced ? We answer, — - 
Not by the might, nor by the power of human ingenuity, but 
by the power of the living God. The apostles went forth and 
preached everywhere, and the Lord wrought with them, and 
confirming the word with signs following. (Mark 16 : 20.) 
This was the secret of their success. The power of God was 
employed to render the weapons of their warfare mighty and 
successful in pulling down the strongest holds of the prince of 
darkness, casting down the lofty imaginations of the proud, 
uprooting the long established superstitions of the heathen, 
and transforming the face of the moral world from the dreari- 
ness of a wintry desolation, to the blossom beauty and fertility 
of a perpetual spring. And Christ crucified is the same in 
its efficiency and absolute necessity as it was in the days of 
apostolic labour and success. 



72 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

No other name has yet been found, no other means devised, 
by which man can obtain salvation. 

In the march of scientific and intellectual improvement, 
discoveries have been made which have greatly cheapened 
and multiplied the comforts of mankind, but for their sal- 
vation no new provision has been made. The light of 
science has not shed one ray to illumine the dungeon of the 
human soul. Among the new and useful elements which 
have been discovered in the improvement of modern chemi- 
cal science, none have been found which furnish the dead 
sinner with the elements of a new life, or the agent of his 
spiritual renovation. The boasted spiritual power arro- 
gated by those who lay claim to that baseless fabric of a 
disordered vision, an uninterrupted succession of apostolical 
authority, and the encomiums which we frequently hear 
concerning the soul-saving virtues of certain church forms, 
and ceremonies and modes of worship, are all nothing less 
than so many sad evidences of the proneness of fallen nature 
to forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew out to itself 
the broken and leaky cisterns of human inventions. All 
must fail; when the overflowing scourge shall come from the 
presence of the Lord, every refuge of lies will be swept 
away. Christ crucified is the power of God. This is a 
truth which is the same in its importance and necessity in 
every age, and throughout every department of human 
society. Go we to the most enlightened and polished 
circles of civilized society ? we tell them that Christ cruci- 
fied is their only hope. Do we preach to the benighted 
cannibals who dwell in the habitations of cruelty ? we 
point them to the bleeding victim of the cross, and tell them 
that he alone has power to save ; we tell the victims of 
imposture that Christ is " the way, the truth, and the life." 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 73 

While pursuing our way over the spiritual deserts of our 
earth, we proclaim to every parched and thirsty pilgrim we 
meet, that he who believes in the crucified Saviour, out of 
his belly shall flow rivers of living water ; and we declare 
to all of every name, nation, and country, that he is able to 
save even to the uttermost. 

II. The second part of this subject leads us to notice the 
plan of salvation, through a crucified Saviour, as a glorious 
display of the wisdom of God. In the works of man, power 
and wisdom are not always combined, but in the divine 
scheme of human redemption we are presented with a stu- 
pendous display of power, together with the highest degree 
of wisdom, in the most admirable adaptation of the means 
to the end to be accomplished. One reason why all the 
schemes fail devised by the efforts of human ingenuity for 
mitigating the sorrows of mankind, and raising them to the 
enjoyment of those elevated pleasures after which the soul 
aspires, is because the world by its wisdom never yet 
understood the real nature of man, never yet determined 
the position he was designed to occupy in the scale of 
intellectual and moral existence, and much less could 
human wisdom ever point out the pathway to the skies. 
Man's moral relations were never known until revealed by 
infinite wisdom. Human reason never discovered the true 
nature of man's spiritual disease, and consequently could 
not apply a proper remedy. How shall I be saved, is a 
question which not even the angels in heaven could answer, 
much less man whose dwelling is in the dust. 

Now the wisdom of God as displayed in the plan of human 
redemption through Christ crucified, appears in the most 
admirable adaptation of the plan to the purpose, or of the 
means to the end to be accomplished. It commences the 



74 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

work of salvation at the very point where the ruin of man 
originated, or, in other words, it applies the remedy to the 
very seat of the disease. It is here especially that all the 
schemes of men's devising have been most signally defective- 
They have mistaken the seat as well as the nature of 
the evil, and have directed an external application, instead 
of giving an internal remedy. Hence, while they have 
bound up, and chafed, and amputated some of the external 
parts, they have left the disease to fester and rankle within, 
only to break forth with an increased violence and malig- 
nancy. Damming up the stream, instead of drying up the 
fountain, the momentary stagnation of its waters will but 
serve to accumulate their quantity and augment their force, 
until breaking down the barrier by which their progress 
has been temporarily arrested, they sweep away all* before 
them. This is but a true picture of even the wisest plans 
that men have formed. They have chained and starved the 
lion, until aroused in the majesty of his mighty indignation 
to the unrestained exertion of all his strength, he breaks from 
his bondage to rage, to rave, and destroy. But how different 
the course which infinite wisdom pursues. Let us suppose 
for a moment the case of a person hearing for the first time 
the doctrine of Christ crucified. He hears it with amaze- 
ment. What ! Christ, the Son of God, his only and beloved 
Son, crucified ; dying in a manner which signifies that the 
crime for which he suffered ranks the highest in the cata- 
logue of offences ? No, he died the just for the unjust ; the 
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Did he die 
for sinners of the human race? then I am one of the 
guilty authors of his death, for I am one of the members of 
the human family, a partaker of their common nature, bear- 
ing all the marks of the common character which they 



CHKIST CRUCIFIED. 75 

possess, the faithful imitator of their practices, and conse- 
quently I am responsible for the consequences of their con- 
duct. Oh ! alarming thought ! I the murderer of the Prince 
of life ! Is this indeed true 1 Let me consider* Can I not 
claim the part of only an accomplice in the deed 1 No, no : 
he tasted death for every man, and I am individually held 
responsible as a principal in the crime. wretched man 
that I am !" Now here is the point to which we wish to 
come ; the doctrine of Christ crucified comes home to the 
very heart of the sinner, and gives him to feel the truth in 
all its power and alarming consequences, that he has acted 
the part not merely of an accomplice* but that of a chief in 
a conspiracy in which the whole honour of the Divine 
government is concerned, and which has resulted in the 
death of his only begotten Son, and that he is held individu- 
ally as fully responsible for the crucifixion of the Son of God, 
as though he were the only sinner for whom he had suffered. 
Sere, then, my friends, is burning truth, which falls upon the 
naked heart of the sinner, and begets the elements of a deep 
and genuine repentance towards God. See him there 
gazing upon the lacerated and wounded body of the suffer- 
ing victim, and with eyes suffused in tears, and a faltering 
voice, he asks,— 

11 Who, whOj my Saviour this hath done 1 

Who could thy sacred body wound ? 
No guilt thy spotless heart hath known ] 

No guile hath in thy lips been found. 
I, I alone have done the deed ; 

'Tis I thy sacred flesh have torn ; 
My sins have caused thee, Lord, to bleedj 

Pointed the nail and fixed the thorn." 

He is not willing now even to admit that he has any asso* 
ciates to share with him in the awful responsibility of the 
consequences of his conduct 4 Behold an astonishing display 



»0 



ClilltST CKUCltfl^D, 



of the wisdom of God. The heart of the sinner loves sin ; but 
the very first view he takes of the cross fills him with horror, 
gives him such a discovery of the nature of his conduct as is 
sufficient to lead to a sincere heartfelt repentance) thus striking 
a death blow at the root cf the evil, and removing the cause by 
which all the effects have been produced. It is here that we 
find the real nature of an evangelical repentance^ in the disco- 
very which the sinner receives through the doctrine of a crucified 
Saviour) that he has acted a personal part in this awful tragedy | 
that the Saviour was wounded for his transgressions, and 
bruised for his iniquities ; thus extorting the cry of genuine 
penitence, " Against thee* and thee only* have I sinned." The 
misery and ruin which he has brought upon himself are only 
a secondary consideration. All is lost in the awful truth that 
his sins have crucified the only begotten Son of God. And 
can the awakened sinner, thus viewing his sins, continue with 
careless indifference to pursue his guilty and ruinous practices? 
No, no. For while the view which he takes of his conduct 
begets a hearty repentance towards God, it is equally effectual 
in leading him to forsake his evil ways. What ! sin again, 
and crucify my Saviour afresh ? No, never will I again put 
forth my hand to pluck of that forbidden fruit* 

But let us view this subject further, and see how most glori- 
ously the wisdom of God is displayed through the whole process 
of the sinner's salvation, in a way that while it secures all the 
glory to God, it meets all the peculiarities of the effects of the 
fall, and saves the sinner in a manner that confers on him the 
greatest amount of happiness here and hereafter. 

Man fell through pride ; but in his salvation through a 
crucified Redeemer, he is humbled into the very dust, and 
required to repent as in sackcloth and ashes. He has destroyed 
himself by his guilty misconduct; but he is saved by the 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 77 

worthiness of another ; his ruin commenced in entertaining 
an improper desire for knowledge ; but in his salvation through 
Christ crucified he is required to renounce his own wisdom, 
and to become a fool in his own estimation, that he may be 
truly wise. He fell through unbelief; he is saved by faith. 
He was ruined through a presumptuous dependence on the 
suggestions of the father of lies; he obtains salvation by an 
humble and sole reliance upon another, and that the very 
person whom his sins have crucified. Now, the great point 
aimed at in the salvation of man is to destroy his self-love, 
and to replace his affections upon God, their proper object. 
And see how wisely the plan of salvation through Christ cruci- 
fied is adapted to accomplish this purpose. At every point of 
his salvation through Christ he is charged with the guilt of his 
own ruin, while, at the same time, he sees that the whole work 
of his recovery from first to last is of God, through Christ, 
thus hiding all pride from his eyes, and binding every affection 
of his soul upon God, leading him to exclaim at all times, in 
language of the most tender filial affection, " We love him 
because he first loved us." 

But again, the wisdom of God appears in the doctrine of 
Christ crucified, in that while there is a most signal manifes- 
tation of the inflexible justice of God, there is also a most 
glorious display of his love. 

To have pardoned the sinner without requiring any satis- 
faction for his past offences, might have appeared like a want 
of proper regard for his own laws, and as giving encouragement 
to sin ; and to have demanded satisfaction from the guilty 
sinner himself, who had nothing to offer, would seem to be an 
unreasonable requirement. But in Christ crucified every 
peculiarity of the case is fully met. Justice required either 
the death of the guilty sinner himself or that of a proper 



78 CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 

substitute ; but when the sinner had nothing to offer, the love 
of God is seen in providing a proper victim of sacrifice by the 
incarnation of his only begotten Son. Thus while in the 
death of Christ the justice of God is most signally displayed 
in the punishment of sin, the goodness of God is equally- 
displayed in giving his only begotten Son to bear the iniqui- 
ties of all mankind, and thus in the very provision for the 
salvation of the world, there is a manifestation of the greatest 
hatred to sin, and yet the greatest love to the sinner. There 
is seen inflexible justice inflicting the penalty, and yet saving 
the criminal ; pardoning the sinner without relaxing the claims 
of the law ; and, at the same time, doing it in such a manner 
as to secure his future obedience, and binding the once rebel- 
lious subject in eternal loyalty to his throne. 

But once more. Who could have conceived the idea of 
making the very victim of the sinner's crimes the object of his 
trust for salvation ? Every time the sinner receives an offer of 
salvation through Christ crucified, he is presented with the 
most appalling view of the nature of his sins ; he is charged 
with being the betrayer and murderer of the Prince of Life, 
and yet that very Saviour is declared to be the only foundation 
of a sure and certain hope of eternal life. Human wisdom 
might pronounce a plan like this most absurd, and calculated 
most certainly to defeat the very end it aimed to accomplish ; 
and instead of encouraging the exercise of a saving trust in 
Christ, would rather tend to drive him to despair. Well 
might the doctrine of the cross be regarded as foolishness by 
the philosophical Greeks. But see here a glorious manifesta- 
tion of the unsearchable wisdom of God. For while the sinner 
hears that his sins have crucified the Saviour, he is also assured 
that he died a willing sacrifice in the place of the guilty crimi- 
nal, that he died for the very purpose of saving the sinner 



CHRIST CRUCIFIED. 79 

from death. He received the stroke of justice that it might 
not light on his soul. Thus while he sees in Christ crucified 
the hatred of God to sin, he is also furnished with a most 
encouraging manifestation of his love to the sinner, and he 
rushes into the very arms of that bleeding Saviour whom his 
6ins have pierced, and he trusts for pardon and salvation in 
the merits of that blood which his own sins have shed. He 
sees in the pierced body of Christ the fearful nature of sin, 
and a most awful manifestation of Divine justice, which could 
not suffer sin to go unpunished, and yet he beholds the bowels 
of the Saviour's compassion yearning over a perishing race, 
and love which the most cruel treatment could not abate, leading 
him to the cross a willing sacrifice even for his enemies. While 
in beholding the cross he sees the punishment his own sins 
have merited, he sees also that punishment endured by another 
for his sake ; and assured of the compassion of the crucified 
Saviour, and his willingness to save even the very chief of 
sinners, he casts his soul upon him in humble confidence, and 
claims him as his Saviour and all. Christ crucified is then the 
wisdom as well as the power of God. He is not only a suffi- 
cient, but a suitable Saviour. The sinner who believes on 
Christ is saved, and that, too, in a manner that displays both 
the omnipotence and the infinite wisdom of God. 

But there is another point upon which we may dwell for a 
moment. The Apostle says that the Jews require a sign, and 
the Greeks seek after wisdom. Now, although it is not the 
order of Providence to swerve from his plans for the purpose 
of gratifying the improper desires of his creatures, yet we may 
see the perfection of the plan of salvation through Christ 
crucified, in its most admirable adaptation to meet all the pecu- 
liarities of human nature. Did the Jews require a sign ? 
they had them in abundance, and such signs, too, as were 



80 CHRIST CRUCIFIED, 

sufficient to satisfy every request. They had them not only 
in the miracles performed by the Saviour himself, but also in 
the astonishing effects produced by the preaching of the Apostles. 
The day of Pentecost was a day of signs and wonders, and 
the events of that memorable period were sufficient to satisfy 
even the most incredulous, and set an unquestionable seal to 
the divinity of the Messiah's mission. Do we require a sign, 
or some convincing proof of the divinity of our religious faith ? 
we have it in the effects produced by the preaching of Christ 
crucified. 

The Greeks seek after wisdom j and here it is to be found in 
its perfection ; wisdom, too, compared with which the wisdom 
of the world is perfect foolishness. The wisdom of God, as 
seen in the plan of salvation, engages the intense interest of 
angels and archangels, who find it a subject containing an 
ample range for the most vigorous exercise of all the powers 
of their minds, and one into which they forever desire to look, 
and the contemplation of which serves only to heighten their 
admiration. Need we then say, that in this subject man may 
find wisdom sufficient to employ an eternity in contemplating. 

If, then, in the doctrine of Christ crucified there is every- 
thing necessary for the salvation of every individual of man- 
kind, what an appalling view does this fact present of the guilt 
of those who either neglect or stubbornly refuse to comply 
with the requirements of the economy of redemption ; and 
how fearfully will the punishment of such be enhanced when 
God shall render to each his proper portion of indignation 
and wrath. 



SERMON V 



HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 



Lay hold on eternal life. 

1 Timothy, vi. 12, 



It is one of the sad consequences of the fall, that while our 
evils are the spontaneous production of the soil upon which 
we tread, the good we desire to possess is foreign to the region 
we inhabit, and if obtained, must be sought for from some 
source external to the place of our abode. Our sorrows crowd 
Upon us in rapid and unbroken succession, but our joys fol- 
low each* other at long and irregular intervals. Our calamities 
cannot be always avoided, even by the most prudent foresight, 
or by the strongest barriers we may endeavour to raise for our 
defence * while on the contrary, our pleasures are continually 
eluding our pursuit, nor can they be induced to be our con- 
stant companions by the most pressing solicitations. Adver- 
sity is a plant which abounds in every region of our earth : 
whose leaf never withers and whose fruit never fails ; but 
prosperity is the .rare production of another clime, which 
speedily droops beneath the rays of the ascending sun. 

The disobedience of man has transformed the bloom of Eden 
into the barrenness of a desert waste, and produced the most 

E-2 



HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 



mournful and unhappy reverses in his condition. In his 
state of innocence, he was heir to happiness ; but under the 
reign of sin, he is born to sorrow as his entailed inheritance. 
Then he enjoyed the full flow and vigor of spiritual life ; 
disease and death had no affinity for his nature. But now 
the chill of spiritual death has reached his very vitals, and 
weakness, disease, and dissolution, are his inseparable com- 
panions ; and that life to which he was created heir, is ob- 
tained only by his most vigorous and persevering exertions. 
The idea suggested by our text is that of a person pursuing 
an object with the utmost eagerness, which is perpetually 
endeavouring to avoid his grasp and to elude his pursuit. In 
order to obtain it, he is required to cast off every incumbrance, 
run with all possible speed, and with an extended arm to 
seize it with a most vigorous grasp, and to continue his 
hold until the object of his pursuit is finally secured. Nor 
is this by any means an improper emblem by which to repre- 
sent the resolute determination, the unwearied diligence, and 
activity necessary for the christian to maintain, in order to 
secure the enjoyment of his salvation on earth, and the posses- 
sion of his final rest in heaven. 

Following out the metaphor contained in the text, let us 
pursue our meditations upon this subject by considering, — 

I. The object here spoken of : Eternal life. 

II. The manner in which we are to obtain it, and secure 
its final and everlasting possession. 

I. The object on which we are to lay hold is eternal life. 
Life, in its simplest sense, is used to signify the connexion of 
the immaterial spirit with the body, of which it is the animating 
principle. It may, however, be defined as that consciousness 
of our existence which we continually possess, and which 
renders us susceptible of the emotions of pleasure or of pain. 



HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 83 

It is not one of the accidental properties of our existence, 
which may be dispensed without any material consequence 
resulting from its absence. It is that very existence itself: 
the consciousness that we are; that we enjoy pleasure, or that 
we suffer pain. 

Life, in its simple sense, and unconnected with, any one of 
the various and important subjects which its existence neces- 
sarily embraces, is an object of all others the most ardently 
and unceasingly desired, and one upon which we fix the high- 
est value. Satan, although the father of lies, told the truth 
once at least when he said, — " Yea, all that a man hath will 
he give for his life." Job ii. 4. Let his possessions be as 
extensive as they may, life is the last thing he will consent to 
relinquish. The simple idea of life, then, is, in our estimation, 
of the very highest importance, and to retain it we would be 
willing to lose everything else. But the term by which the 
life here spoken of is qualified, increases its value to an incon- 
ceivable extent. It is eternal life ; the unending perpetuity 
of that existence we so highly prize, and the loss of which 
we so much dread. The idea of annihilation is perhaps the 
most abhorrent and repulsive to our nature of which we can 
possibly form any conception ; nor can we consent to enter- 
tain it seriously even when groaning under the heaviest burden 
of nature's woes. Go to the most miserable of human sufferers, 
to prisoners in the most loathsome dungeons, or to the slaves, 
lacerated by the stripes of a cruel and imperious master, and offer 
them, as the only alternative, the perpetuation of their mis- 
eries, or the termination of their existence, and they would 
consent to endure afflictions two-fold more severe, rather than 
purchase relief at so great a cost. And were you to descend 
into the prison-house of the lost, you might hear the rich man 
asking for the mitigation of his pains, but not for the termina- 
tion of his existence. 



84 HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 

We sometimes hear, it is true, of persons wishing for death 
to relieve their sufferings, but they wish for death, not as an 
event that puts a final period to their being, but under the 
supposition that it will end their sufferings, and introduce 
them into a new and more desirable mode of life. 

If life, then, in itself, be so desirable to man, under whatever 
circumstances its existence may be prolonged, the infinity of 
its duration stamps it with a value as inconceivably great as 
the unlimited bounds of space over which it is destined to 
extend. But if eternal life, even when considered apart from 
the truths of revelation, or as the mere continuance of vital 
being, be an object more desirable and valuable to us than all 
the treasures of creation, how inconceivably is its value in- 
creased when we contemplate it by the light of the Sun of 
Righteousness, and in connexion with those glorious realities 
with which it will be associated, both in its incipient stages in 
time, and in the full strength and vigor of its maturity in the 
mansions prepared for the future residence of the soul in 
heaven. 

In the possession of this eternal life is implied all those 
spiritual pleasures which the soul of man can possibly desire 
and without which the aspirations of the immortal spirit can 
never be satisfied. It implies the possession and the enjoyment 
of God himself, and all the unspeakable soul-satisfying delights 
which flow from the assurance of his favour, the protection of 
his power amidst the dangers that beset our path, the con- 
solations of his Spirit under all the ills and afflictions of life, 
and the glorious and animating prospect of finally receiving 
for his everlasting inheritance the crown of life, and in the 
presence of his Redeemer and God to enjoy the fullness of 
eternal pleasures. If that object is valuable to man, and 
that one only really so which raises him to the elevated 



HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 85 

position in the scale of intellectual and moral existence he 
was created to occupy, eternal life is that object. It takes 
him from the horrible pit and miry clay, and sets his feet 
upon a rock; it finds him dead and degraded by sin, it raises 
him to spiritual life, and to the possession of moral excellence ; 
it finds him laden with guilt, and it frees him from condem- 
nation; it appoints unto him beauty for ashes, the oil of joy 
for mourning, the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; 
elevates and purifies the affections of his soul, and prepares 
him to associate with a higher order of created intelligences, 
and in the kingdom of his God to spend an eternity of joy in 
adoring the riches of that grace which has conducted him 
through all the meanderings of his progress from earth, to his 
high and glorious abode in the heavens. 

What the real value of this object is, we cannot properly 
compute with our present limited powers of conception. We 
may form some estimate of its worth by considering the 
blessedness of its effects, even in the present life, upon those 
who secure its possession, but what will be the vast amount 
of that exceeding great and eternal weight of glory to which 
they will be advanced in their future home, it will require 
the enlarged conceptions of an angelic intellect, the arithmetic 
of heaven, and the unending years of eternity to calculate. 
The apostle Paul in writing to the Corinthians describes it 
as embracing all things : " For all things are yours ; whether 
Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas," &c. 1 Cor. iii. 21, 23. 

What more then can we desire ? If in laying hold of 
eternal life, we seize, as it were, by the same grasp, every thing, 
even God himself, and all beneath his throne, we have all that 
the vast dominions of creation contain, and in possession of 
this for our inheritance, we have an exhaustless provision to 
satisfy .all our desires. We can wish for nothing more 7 



86 HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 

because the whole treasures of earth and heaven are ours, and 
beyond these our desires cannot possibly extend. Here, then, 
is the object set before us, eternal life, an object most desirable, 
and stamped with the highest and most lasting value. 

II. "We proceed to notice the manner in which we are to 
obtain it : lay hold on eternal life. 

The form of speech here employed conveys the impression 
to our minds that we are to obtain eternal life by a violent 
seizure, or at least by a most vigorous exertion of our strength, 
and also that the object of our pursuit will elude our grasp 
even after we have obtained it, unless we continue to main- 
tain our hold with unwearied diligence, until the possession 
of our treasure is finally and forever secured. The proper 
signification of the original term here rendered, " lay liold on," 
will be best understood by supposing, for example, that there is 
a valuable article the subject of fierce dispute between two 
contending parties. The person to whom it properly belongs 
seizes it with a firm and determined grasp, watches every 
movement, and foils every attempt of his antagonist, and 
continues to guard his treasure with the utmost Vigilance and 
persevering courage, until he conveys it away to a place of 
security. Now we have here a very appropriate representation 
of the earnestness, and unwearied diligence which the Chris- 
tian must empby to insure his ultimate success. 

A treasure of unspeakable value is offered to us as our 
purchased right through Jesus Christ. There are malignant 
foes who will contest our claim, and employ every stratagem 
to prevent us from obtaining its possession, or to wrest it from 
us after it has been gained. In order to be successful we are 
required to give all diligence, to summon to our aid all the 
powers of our souls and bodies, and faithfully to employ every 
means, and every opportunity afforded us. Nothing Iqss than 



HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 87- 

this will insure success. As the object for which we are to 
seek is infinitely great in its value and importance, it cannot 
be obtained without labour in some degree proportioned to its 
value. Even a heathen writer understood this law in the 
economy of human affairs when he wrote the sentiment, — 

li Nil sine magno vita labor e dedit mortalibus." — Horace. 

And this is most emphatically true when applied to this 
subject. Heaven bestows eternal life on those only who 
consider it worth a cordial reception when offered for their 
acceptance ; but who are willing to obtain it as the achievement 
of a heroic contest. 

"We have already remarked that the idea suggested by the 
text is that of pursuing an object which is continually en- 
deavouring to elude his grasp. This however is not strictly 
true in respect to the one here mentioned. The very reverse 
of this is the case. Eternal life is offered for our acceptance, 
brought to our very door, and is urged upon us by the most 
pressing and persuasive solicitations. Thus the author of the 
Proverbs says, " Doth not wisdom cry 1 and understanding put 
forth her voice ? She standeth in the top of high places, by 
the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, 
at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors : Unto 
you, men, I call ; and my voice is to the sons of man. ye 
simple, understand wisdom : and, ye fools, be ye of an under- 
standing heart." Prov. viii. 1-5. The difficulty we experience 
in the contest for eternal life does not lie in the efforts of the 
object to elude our pursuit, but in our own indisposition to 
seek its possession. We lay hold of it with, at the best, but 
a palsied hand and feeble grasp, and are every moment ready 
to quit our hold. Hence the necessity of the injunction, 
" lay hold" upon it. Seize it with a firm, and hold it with a 



88 HOW TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE. 

steady and determined grasp, lest at any time you let it slip 
and lose it forever. 

What, then, is implied in laying hold on eternal life ? 

1. Be sure to obtain it> and not something else. Do not 
mistake your object. 

2. Having obtained, be careful to retain it, by watching 
and prayer, by the proper use of every means, and by making 
the best of every opportunity. Take for the purpose of 
instruction the example of a person whose heart is set upon 
obtaining riches. He leaves no means untried, watches every 
opportunity, and like the fabled philosopher's stone, turns 
every thing he touches into gold. Now if all this must be 
done to obtain the perishing riches of earth, shall we suppose 
that the incorruptible treasures of eternal life can be secured 
by the use of any less vigorous means? The highest bidder 
always secures the prize, and those only will be sure of heaven 
who are resolved to obtain it at any price. 



SERMON VI 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 



Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, 
The stone which the builders rkjected, the same is become 
the head of the corner 
martellous in our eyks ? 

Matt. xxi. 42. 



These words are a quotation from the 118th Psalm, and 
the manner in which they are introduced, shows them to be a 
prophesy referring to the Messiah as the great Head of his 
spiritual temple, the Church. They are employed by the 
Saviour in this place, as an appropriate description of the 
manner in which he would be treated by his own nation, and 
particularly by the chief priests and elders of the people. 
They also may be viewed as a prediction of the ultimate 
triumph of the Redeemer over all the opposition of his ene- 
mies, and the universal spread of his spiritual dominion. 

There was a story current among the Jews to which they 
applied this passage in the Psalms, viz. : That during the erec- 
tion of the second temple, a stone lay on the ground which was 
repeatedly tried for different places in the building, but was as 
often rejected, until at last it was found to be the one required 



90 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

for the completion of the edifice. But the Saviour taught 
them that its true application was to a far more important 
event. The stone was himself: the Rock on which the great 
spiritual temple should be erected. The builders were the chief 
priests and elders, who rejected him and refused to own him 
as the Messiah. But, notwithstanding all their malice and 
infidelity, he must become the head of the corner ; exalted to 
be the head of all principalities and powers, and of his church 
in particular ; uniting both Jews and Gentiles in one glorious 
body. " And this is the Lord's doing," who permitted and 
overruled their hostility for the ultimate advancement of his 
cause. tl And it is marvellous in our eyes," the obduracy of 
the Jews, the rejection of the Messiah, and his exaltation ; all 
are marvellously ordered so as to advance the glory of the 
divine Redeemer, to pour confusion on his enemies, and to 
secure the final success of his cause. 

The first idea suggested by these words in their application 
to the divine Redeemer is, that the enemies of Christ were 
permitted by the Lord to manifest their opposition and hatred 
to his cause. In reading the history of Christ, we are some- 
times led to wonder at the unyielding hostility of the Jewish 
people to Christ, and to enquire, " Why were they permitted 
to join in unholy league to counteract the design of his ad- 
vent ? to employ their influence in opposing the erection of 
his spiritual temple, the church ?" The text answers the in- 
quiry : " It was the Lord's doing." He suffered them to 
succeed, as they supposed, for a time ; until they had pro- 
ceeded so far as to kill the Prince of life, and to secure, in 
their imagination at least, the entire destruction of his cause. 
The Saviour might at the first have clothed himself in all the 
terrible majesty of his omnipotence, and crushed all opposition 
by one sudden sweep of his indignation, had he in his wisdom 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 91 

been so disposed. But the apparent momentary triumph of 
his enemies and his humiliating defeat, but served to heighten 
the glory of his subsequent achievements. "When rising from 
the obscurity and confinement of the tomb, he turned the vic- 
torious shouts of his supposed conquerors into the silence of 
an inglorious defeat ; and from that moment he commenced 
that series of splendid triumphs, by an agency so apparently 
weak and inefficient, as to prove most conclusively that the 
preaching of the cross was nothing less than the manifesta- 
tion of th.3 workings of the arm of Omnipotence. 

That the supernatural in religion has not ceased nor been 
rendered unnecessary, either by the lapse of time, or the advan- 
tages which civilization and science^confer upon mankind, is 
a fact which needs no laboured argument to prove. We are, 
however, fully aware of the tendency of the human mind to 
attribute to natural causes any effect of frequent occurrence ; 
and this is too often unhappily the case, even in regard to that 
all-important work, the salvation of the fallen soul. How many 
there are, who, in practice at least, if not in theory, regard it 
as the ordinary or natural result of the mere outward observ- 
ance of certain forms and ceremonies ; as a kind of moral 
machinery adapted to our fallen condition; and designed, as 
their natural tendency and ultimate effect, to raise the fallen 
soul from its moral degradation, and fit it for a higher and 
purer state of existence in the heavenly world. But though 
the infidel may sneer ; the moralist reason ; and the dead for- 
malist cry " presumption ! enthusiasm ! ! blasphemy ! H " we 
will point to the sinner whenever we see one converted from 
the error of his ways, and fearless of successful contradiction, 
we declare, — t( This is the Lord's doing," — the real work of 
an omnipotent agency. Nor is it so in that lower or second- 
ary sense, in which we regard the effects produced by the 



92 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

operations of the laws of the material world, as the work of 
the Lord, but in a particular sense, as evidently displaying the 
immediate presence and workings of his almighty Spirit. To 
what else can we possibly ascribe a work so grand in its nature, 
and so glorious in its results, as to be an object of the most 
intense interest and unspeakable delight even to the angelic 
hosts? Look at the sinner in his fallen state, and then behold 
him in his happy contrast when made the subject of the saving 
grace of the Gospel. Are natural causes; the light of nature; 
the ethics of morality ; or the external ceremonies of religion ; 
are any or all of these combined, sufficient to account for these 
truly wonderful or marvellous effects ? Think for a moment 
of the darkness and depravity of the fallen spirit ignorant of 
God, in its most emphatic sense ; ignorant of himself, neither 
knowing nor caring for the purpose for which he was created ; 
possessing in his heart the very root and principle of every 
evil ; an inveterate and uncompromising hatred of all that is 
holy and good ; urged onward to the commission of all the 
works of darkness, as if by a perpetual and irresistible im- 
pulse ; and, as utterly regardless of the consequences of his 
sins, he goes on lt treasuring up wrath against the day of 
wrath," and working out his own damnation with greediness. 
But behold this same ignorant, degraded, wicked, and ma- 
niac-like being under another aspect ; bearing an entirely 
different character ; restored to the possession of a degree of 
moral excellence and spiritual purity which render him the 
perfect contrast of his former self, and stamp him again with 
the image of God. Whence, we ask, is this wonderful change ? 
What has quickened this mass of moral death into spiritual 
life ? What light is this which has illumined the dungeon of 
the sinner's soul ? What potent arm has broken the chains of 
his spiritual bondage ? What power has harmonized with his 



TfiE CHIEF CORNER-STOKE* 98 

Warding passions, and brought peace out of confusion, and 
order out of that fearful chaos ? Above all, whence 
have been derived those holy desires and ardent aspirations 
after the joys of salvation and the bliss of heaven ? Is 
carnal nature capable of working out such results ? or 
mere outward ceremonies a sufficient cause to account for 
such truly wonderful effects ? We answer, No* It is 
the work of the Lord ; and that, too, in a sense as pre* 
eminent as the calling out of nature's chaos the order and 
beauty of this terrestrial sphere. Whence, but from God him- 
self, is life to re-animate our spiritual death j light to illumine 
the rayless gloom of our moral night ; or pure and holy 
affections to be planted in hearts by nature the undisturbed 
abode of every vicious propensity ? Nor is it less eminently 
the work of God, the preservation of the regenerated soul in 
the possession and constant exercise of its spiritual and holy 
affections, than it was to implant them at the commencement 
of a spiritual life. The upward progress of the soul in its 
transition from darkness to light, — or, more comprehensively 5 
from earth to heaven, at any and every moment, is to be 
ascribed to the effectual workings of the Omnipotent Spirit* 
" The just shall live by his faith," says the prophet, Hab. 
ii. 4 ; and the apostle Peter, I. Peter, i> 5, in language of 
similar import, says, — " Who are kept by the power of God 
through faith." Consider for a moment the nature of the 
effect, viz. ; a life of active prayer, — and then to what cause 
shall it be attributed bat to the active aud ever-living energy 
of the Holy Spirit. 

There is a fallen nature always susceptible of the allure- 
ments of sensible objects, and ever prone to listen, at least, to 
the enticements of sinful pleasures. Where is the security of 
the Christian in the day of trial ; whether of prosperity or 



94 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

adversity ; whether he is presented with the kingdoms of 
this world and their glory 5 or, under the heaviest pressure of 
want, he is assailed with suggestions of distrust. For such 
seasons of trial and conflict where is his high refuge, or the 
source from which the help is obtained, which not only saves 
him from sinking under the burden of his conflicts and sor- 
rows, but even enables him triumphantly to exclaim, — " Nay> 
in all things we are more than conquerors I" " This is indeed 
the Lord's doing." And such is the nature of the conflict 
which the christian is required to maintain against the com- 
bined powers of earth and hell, that were he left for one 
moment to contend by his own unaided strength, he would 
fall beneath their superior force. il Without me," says the 
Saviour, tl ye can do nothing." John xv. 5. The secret of his 
strength is most beautifully portrayed by the apostle in his de- 
scription of the spiritual warfare, and the invincible armour 
with which every christian soldier is furnished : '' Finally, my 
brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand 
against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh 
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the 
rulers of the darkness of, this world, against spiritual wicked- 
ness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole 
armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil 
day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having 
your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast- 
plate of righteousness 5 and your feet shod with the prepara- 
tion of the Gospel of peace ; above all, taking the shield of 
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts 
of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the 
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying 
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STOKE. 95 

watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication 
for all saints." Eph. vi. 10-18. 

But, in considering further this part of the subject, we may 
notice a few of the more remarkable manifestations of Divine 
power in raising up and enduing, with extraordinary qualifica- 
tions, the instruments necessary to carry forward to its final 
accomplishment the great and glorious temple, his building. 
If it be true that every lively stone in this spiritual edifice is 
prepared and placed there by the Lord himself, this truth 
— the divinity of this work — shines forth in a more conspicu- 
ous manner in the case of those who occupy a distinguished 
place, and perform a more important and illustrious part, in 
this glorious living temple. What a host of worthies, too, has 
almost every age of the church of God possessed ; persons 
who, in point of true heroism and unsullied magnanimity, and 
all the elements of real glory, have as far excelled the bright- 
est specimens that the world has produced, as the noon-tide 
splendour of the unclouded sun exceeds the feeblest twinkling 
of the most distant star. Time would fail me to tell of all the 
heroic exploits of Gideon, of Barak, and of Samson, and of 
Jephthah ; of David, also, and of Samuel, and of the prophets ; 
''who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, 
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the 
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weak- 
ness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight 
the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised 
to life again, and others were tortured, not accepting deliver- 
ance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." Heb. 
11 : 32-35. The world boasts of its heroes, and glories in 
the conquests it has achieved. But there are no heroes, but 
Christian heroes ; nor any conquests but those which Chris- 
tianity has achieved over the hostility of the carnal mind, 



86 THE CHIEF CORNEH-STONE. 

The history of Christianity presents us with a host of most 
illustrious characters, adorned with virtues of a supernatural 
origin, and exhibiting in the highest degree ail the elements 
of an unearthly heroism. If the voluntary sacrifice of worldly 
good, the patient endurance of the] severest afflictions, and 
an uncompromising faithfulness in the performance of duty 
in face of the greatest dangers, and in view of death, are 
traits of character which distinguish the true hero, how many 
of this description has Christianity produced ? Amongst its 
early witnesses and martyrs, there is one the study of whose 
character is invested with the highest interest and advantage. 
Where in the annals of human history can his equal be found ? 
I mean the apostle Pauh In his plans of usefulness, his con- 
ceptions were as comprehensive as the spirit of the glorious 
system by which he was inspired. In the execution of his 
god-like designs* neither labours wearied nor difficulties dis- 
couraged him ; his courage never failed him ; and even in 
view of the greatest dangers he was as unmoved by fear, and 
as intent upon the accomplishment of his work as when no 
obstacle appeared to oppose his progress. He was the same 
man in this respect, whether free or in bonds ; amongst his 
most faithful friends, or in the midst of an infuriated rabble ; 
whether at the commencement of his apostolic course, or when 
every day expecting to seal it with his blood. In the full 
expectation of being called to endure the severest trial of his 
courage, he could say without any misgivings : <c And now, 
behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing 
the things that shall befall me there : Save that the Holy 
Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds and afflic- 
tions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither 
count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
course with joy, and the miuistry which I have received of the 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 97 

Lord Jesus to testify the Gospel of the grace of God." Acts xx. 
22-24. Who but God himself could inspire the human heart 
with such sentiments, and sustain the weakness of fallen nature 
with the strength and courage sufficient for the performance 
of the arduous and self-denying labours of a herald of the 
Gospel, and that, too, in view of the certainty of the obloquy, 
and contempt, and scandal of the cross. 

Again, if we consider some of the more remarkable circum- 
stances connected with the history of the Church of God even 
in these our latter days, we behold rising up before us in 
majestic grandeur some of the most noble specimens of Chris- 
tian character, which exhibit in the most impressive manner 
the divinity of the cause by which they have been produced. 

The Church, the work of God himself, his great Spiritual 
Temple, is a combination, not of the worldly and selfish to 
advance their own peculiar interests, not of the powerful and 
wealthy to tyrannize over the poor and helpless, but an 
association of the great and the good, the aged pastor, the 
ardent Missionary, and the young disciple; an association 
employing their resources and engaged in promoting the most 
god-like and noble enterprize. Amongst the number of this 
unearthly confederation there are some whose character shines 
with distinguished lustre, reflecting most brilliantly the light 
of the " Sun of Righteousness." Here female piety has 
recognized and displayed anew the glory which it won when 
it wept at the cross, and was early at the sepulchre. Here 
offerings more costly than those of the l * sweet spices" of the 
sepulchre have been presented by the Christian Marys of 
modern times. Here many a mother in the obscurity of 
her humble abode, has, from the constraining influence of the 
love of Christ, like the mother of Mills, dedicated her offspring 



98 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

to a post of distant labour. What Spartan mother of old, 

when buckling on the armour of her son, and bidding him as 

she gave him his shield, '' either to bring it back, or to be 

brought back upon it," can compare with the widowed mother 

of Lyman, when receiving the intelligence that her son had 

been murdered by the cannibals, Battus replied, " I bless God 

who gave me such a son to go to the heathen, and I never 

felt so strongly as I do at this moment the desire that some 

other of my sons may become Missionaries also, and may go 

and preach the Gospel of Salvation to those savage men who 

have drunk the blood of my son." What ancient Hebrew 

women receiving their dead raised to life again surpassed the 

self-denying faith of the widowed mother, who could say of a 

son, to whom herself and her seven children were beginning to 

look for support, " Let him go ; God will provide for me and 

my babes. And who am I that I should be thus honoured to 

have a son a Missionary to the heathen ?" and who when that 

son had laboured successfully, and had fallen in India, could 

say of a second son who aspired to follow in the foot-steps of 

his brother, " Let William follow Joseph, though it be to 

India, and to an early grave." Here, too, may be seen the 

highly accomplished and intellectual female, meekly, yet firmly 

and cheerfully, devoting herself to a distant and arduous career, 

eclipsing the martial hero in the stern defiance of dangers, 

and surpassing the martyr in the endurance of the fiery trials. 

If self-devotion deserve our applause, who, amongst others, 

can present a stronger claim than Harriet Newell ? If the 

heroic endurance of suffering is worthy to be embalmed in the 

memory, who deserves a brighter memorial than Ann Hazeltine 

Judson ? 

II. But our attention is directed by the text, not merely to 
the divinity of the work here spoken of, but also and more 



' <fHE CHIEF CORNERS -TONE. 99 

particularly to its eminently miraculous character : "It is 
marvellous in our eyes." The marvellous character of the 
work consists, not merely in carrying it forward against all the 
actively interposing obstacles, but in even causing the very 
opposition itself to aid in the promotion of its final accomplish- 
ment. " The stone which the builders rejected is become the 
head of the corner." The very act of the builders in rejecting 
this stone was so overruled by the Great Architect of this 
Spiritual Temple, as to place this stone in the very position for 
which it was designed, at " the head of the corner," — there to 
beautify, uphold, and perfect the Whole edifice. This is marvel- 
lous in our eyes, exhibiting in the clearest light the inconceivable 
power and wisdom of Jehovah, in the abundant resources he 
possesses for the accomplishment of his glorious designs, when 
he can command even the malignant opposition of his foes to 
aid in the more speedy accomplishment of the purposes of his 
redeeming plans. 

The enemies of God have always ultimately promoted the 
cause which they wished to destroy. Nor do we here lack for 
facts to prove the truth of this assertion. Solomon was seven 
years building the temple while all was peace, and when tribu- 
tary nations around brought him abundant materials for the 
edifice; but £zra, with the trowel in one hand, and the sword 
in the other, could build the second temple in four. It is said 
of the children of Israel, while groaning under the oppressive 
servitude of Egypt's cruel task-masters, that the more they 
afflicted them "the more they multiplied and grew." Ex. i. 12. 
Nor can we pass over another very familiar fact in illustration 
of this subject. What, I inquire, has been the ultimate effects 
of the efforts of the enemies of the Bible to sap and destroy the 
foundations of its claims to a celestial origin ? In the fury of 
their zeal they have compassed sea and land, ransacked the 



1 00 Tins CUI&F COttNER-STOS®. 

bowels of the earth, tortured the elements of nature, and called 
the distant stars to speak and bear witness that the word of 
truth is a fable* Shall we say that they have failed of receiv- 
ing even their own preconceived response to their inquiries ? 
Nay: they have more than failed 5 every omen has been 
inauspicious ; every response of their chosen oracles has been 
Unequivocally unfavourable) and every witness they have 
examined has testified against them* Nor is this all. Master 
minds of almost every age* aroused by the opposition of the 
enemies of inspiration, have arisen in their giant strength and 
demolished every castle of the foe, and upon these very ruins 
they have erected monuments high as the heavens, imperishable 
as eternity* and inscribed with characters of living light, of a 
more significant and conclusive import to the infidel than those 
of the supernatural hand upon the wall to Babylon's guilty 
and terrified king. And but for the efforts of skeptics to over- 
throw the truth of God, we might never have possessed those 
incontrovertible arguments which set forth so clearly the 
immovable security of the foundation and guide of our faith. 
We talk much in the present day of the skill of man in training 
the fierce lightning to his service, bidding it speed its rapid 
course to bear to distant friends the dictates of his will ; but 
how much more amazing is Jehovah's skill, who causes the 
very wrath of man that would suppress even the whisperings 
of Divine compassion to a fallen world, to proclaim more 
distinctly the messages of heavenly mercy. This is, indeed, 
"marvellous in our eyes," and yet it is no mystery, for so it is. 
But again, we consider a subject in more immediate connexion 
with the words of the text, though perhaps not more clearly 
illustrative of its general meaning. We refer to the personal 
history of the Saviour during the brief period of his public 
ministry. There is one fact connected with this history which 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 101 

cannot but fix the attention of the most careless reader : it is, 
that the envious, unreasonable, and captious opposition of the 
Scribes and Pharisees and Chief Priests, so far from opposing 
any effectual resistance to the work in which he was engaged, 
that very opposition, unyielding and malignant as was its 
character, was so overruled by the wisdom of God as to contri- 
bute an involuntary influence in promoting the object it was 
seeking to destroy. A greater delusion can scarcely be imagined 
than that which seemed to prevail over the minds of the mem- 
bers of that council, which said, "If w£ let him thus alone, 
all men will believe on him : and the Romans shall come and 
take away both our place and nation." John xi. 48. 

Why, it was this very fact, that they would not " let him 
alone," that was making him an object of more anxious curiosity 
and of greater interest; and while they were endeavouring to 
lift him up for public contempt, his real character thus becoming 
more conspicuous, he was drawing all men unto himself; every 
attempt of his enemies to evade the force of his miracles, only 
rendered the divinity of their author more apparent ; every 
captious question proposed, and every crafty controversy com- 
menced, ended in the double mortification of confusion of face, 
and of hearing the thundering responses of the dalighted multi- 
tudes, ''Never man spake like this man." And after these 
enemies had faithfully plied every art that a malicious inge- 
nuity could devise, and envy itself had grown weary of its 
object, hope, with its dying groans, extorted the mournful tale 
of their success : " The Pharisees therefore said among them- 
selves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold the 
world is gone after him." John xii. 19. 

But consider further the nature of the scenes presented to 
our view in immediate connexion with that most important of 
events, the closing period of his life. Here wonders high on 



102 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

wonders higher rise. Who but He who is great in power and 
wonderful in working, could have so controlled the apparently 
successful opposition of the foes of the Redeemer, as to cause 
it to defeat its own designs, and to heighten the glory of his 
final triumph. Yet so it was. They were suffered to proceed 
so far as to procure his condemnation and death, and to sound 
the first notes of song in honour of what they exultingly 
imagined their glorious achievement. Little, indeed, did they 
think what would be the real result of their boasted triumph. 
Yet the very event which raised their brightest anticipations, 
overwhelmed them with all the horrors of interminable despair : 
and that mournful scene, which the disciples of the Saviour 
regarded as the grave of their hopes, was to them the opening 
dawn of an eternal day of promise. The hour of his apparent 
defeat was the day of his most signal and glorious triumph. 
It was when he fell that he rose ; and when he died, that he 
destroyed " him that had the power of death." How marvel- 
lous, indeed, is the truth, that at the very moment when the 
Redeemer was taken captive by the tyrant of the grave, even 
then he broke his cruel power. Loosing the conqueror's chains, 
he marched in triumph through his dark and hostile dominions , 
and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made an open 
display of the spoils of his splendid victory, and pointing to 
the proud destroyer, as he lay prostrate, and quivering on his 
own chosen field of battle, he bids his once helpless captives — 

" Now ask the monster, Where's thy sting ? 
And, Where's thy victory, boasting grave ?" 

The serpent bruised the heel of the woman's conquering seed; 
but it was then that he set his foot upon the head of his reptile 
foe, and crushed it beneath his almighty weight. 

Contemplating the transcendently glorious results of this 
wonderful transaction, when He, by the apparently sad catas- 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 103 

trophe of his death, destroyed him that had the power of death, 

became the Author of eternal life to a world of ruined sinners, 

we may join in the song of triumph — 

" Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell 
How high your great Deliverer reigns ; 
Sing how he spoil'd the hosts of hell, 
And led the monster, death, in chains." 

Who is the conqueror now ? They who triumphed, or he 
who was defeated 1 — they who lived, or he who died ? 

Where was the victory ? Was it when the monarch of the 

grave claimed the body of the Saviour, as the subject of his 

universal dominion ? or when 

" The powers of hell are captive led, 
Dragg'd to the portals of the sky ?" 

But again. How marvellous the means that Jehovah em- 
ployed in connexion with this event to declare his boundless 
love ! " Go to Calvary ! What wonderful scenes we there 
behold ! The heavens grow black. — the sun disappears — the 
earth trembles — rocks cleave asunder — the vail of the magni- 
ficent temple was rent in twain, as if by a sacrilegious though 
invisible hand —the bursting graves release the re-animated 
bodies of the saints ! What truth do these prodigies attest] — 
God is love ! But can it be ? love selecting for its heralds, the 
eclipse, the fearful darkness, and the terrific earthquake? Yes ; 
amidst these awful movements of nature, in her disturbed 
condition, we hear the distinct and emphatic announcement, 
1 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,' 
and his death, which consummates the scheme of mercy, is the 
event which these wonders proclaim. While the ocean of 
Divine love was thus stirred up from its lowest depths, God 
would have all nature feel these emotions too." 

We pass on to notice the marvellous nature of some of the 
glorious results of the scheme of redeeming mercy. Here we 



104 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE, 



must select a few from amongst an innumerable multitude. 
We need not here dwell at length upon the oft-repeated but 
delightful fact, that the wrath of the enemies of the Christian 
Church has often contributed to its increase and stability. 
The very cross itself has proved an engine to aid in the erec- 
tion of this spiritual house. The flames which have been 
kindled to consume, have lighted its apartments, and displayed 
anew their royal magnificence. The blood of the Martyrs has 
cemented the walls of the edifice and contributed to its strength 
and beauty. The nature of the spiritual conquests which 
Christianity has achieved is worthy of our attention, as mark- 
ing distinctly the marvellous character of this work. Compare 
them with those of the most illustrious of martial heroes, and 
how amazing the difference ! Take the most favourable exam- 
ple, the history of Alexander, the rapidity of whose exploits 
is represented in the visions of Daniel by the he-goat, which 
seemed not to touch the earth. There are marvels in this 
history it is true ; but there is one which may challenge all 
the others ; and that is, that he accomplished so little, while 
he seemed to sway a universal sceptre. 

The rapidity of his flight from country to country, and the 
apparent readiness of tribes, nations and kingdoms, awed by 
the terror of his name, to submit to his authority, was excelled 
only by the promptness with which they rebelled against him. 
Scarcely had the last notes of the songs which celebrated his 
victories died away on his ears, than he heard the news of a 
revolt. When the conqueror fell a victim to himselfj what 
were the fruits of his conquests ? Anarchy and confusion 
reigned as his successor. He died without an heir or a 
confident. 

But see again, that most abject among the train of miserable 
captives, dragged at the triumphant chariot of the lordly con- 



THE CHIEF C0KNEII-3T0KE; 105 

queror. Is he subdued ? Nay, though bound, he is free j 
there is a soul in that fettered body that disdains and refuses 
to yield to any earthly power. He only waits the favourable 
moment to break the chains from his hands, and to plunge the 
deadly dagger into the proud heart of the hated captor, and 
declare himself free. 

Let us contemplate now one of the conquests of the cross* 
Here all is marvellous reality and perfection. Take, in the 
absence of a more striking example, the case of Saul of Tarsus^ 
and a better cannot be desired. You know his former charac- 
ter. Breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the 
disciples of the Lord, he was on his way to Damascus ; but 
behold him suddenly arrested by an invisible and irresistible 
power, and hear him inquiring, in terms of unqualified sub- 
mission, " Lord what wilt thou have me to do ?" He goes on 
to his place of destination, but how changed ? Quiet as a 
lamb, the fierce persecutor is now led by those Who a few 
moments before were following at his bidding to do his deeds' 
of blood. He goes to Damascus a subdued captive of the 
Prince of Peace; he seeks instruction from the disciples of 
the Saviour; obtains his animating favour, and immediately 
preaches him in the synagogue, that he is the Son cf God, and 
Lord of all. How wonderful the transformation here effected. 
The conquest is not only complete, but the spoils of the victory 
are also secured, and the captive is bound in strongest allegiance 
to the conqueror's sacred person and throne, and the very 
weapon by which the conquest has been gained, is now the 
subject of his highest glory and joy: lt God forbid that I should 
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the 
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Gal. vi. 14, 
But more than all this, he not only loves the Conqueror's name, 
and glories in the weapons by which he achieves his conquests, 

F-2 



106 THE CHIEF CORKER-STOKE, 

but with the burning ardour of a self-consuming zeal, be aspires 1 
to the honour of bearing to every land the ensigns of his king* 
dotn, and the blessings of his glorious reign ; counting not even 
bis life dear unto himself* so that he might declare to all the 
excellency of that knowledge of Him, for whom he couuted the 
loss of all things an unspeakable and eternal gain* 

Compare with this single one all the conquests of the warrior 
with garments rolled in blood, and how contemptible do they 
all appear* In their triumphant march* treason, misery, and 
ruin are the grim attendants of their train ; but wherever he 
pursues his victorious way, il the wilderness and the solitary- 
places are glad, and the deserts rejoice and blossom as the rose.' 3 

" Blessings abound where'er he reigns* 
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains ; 
In him the tribes of Adam boast, 
More blessings than their father lost." 

We proceed to notice another subject which displays no less 
significantly the marvellous character of this glorious work* 
Death, in his character as king of terrors, is represented as the 
last and most formidable foe of fallen mau. And well does it 
deserve this title when we consider how terrible has been the 
contest in which he has triumphed over some of the tallest of 
the giant sons of earth; and then when we turn and contem- 
plate the delightful contrast where the weakness of the weakest 
jhas fearlessly contended with the tyrant, and gained the final 
victory. 

Let us go and for a moment behold the scene that was acted 
when Voltaire, that hero of modern infidels, met in encounter 
with the last enemy of man. He boasted of what would be 
his mighty achievement. Twelve men had been employed to 
.establish Christianity, but he alone would have the honour of 
.composing ,the requiem of its funeral pyre P Alas ! he found, 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 107 

that while he had toiled in vain to " crush the wretch," as he 
impiously called the Saviour, the king of terrors had assumed 
a more terrific aspect, and when they met for the concluding 
contest, how terrible indeed was the scene. So unutterably 
awful was the death of Voltaire, that the person who attended 
him during his last illness, solemnly declared that no earthly 
consideration would induce her to witness and endure the 
horrors of another such a scene. Nor do we suppose it possible 
that there is one to be found amongst the brethren of his 
impious creed that would dare utter the wish, V Let me die 
the death of Voltaire, and let my last end be like his." It is 
related of Francis Newport, that when his dissolution approached, 
recovering a little breath, with a groan so dreadful and loud 
as if it had not been human, he cried out, " Oh ! the insuffer- 
able pangs of hell and damnation," and died with this expres- 
sion — death settling his face in such a form as if the lifeless 
body were sensible of the torments of the soul. Examine the 
pleasing contrast, and how marvellous will it appear. How 
different Paul and Peter and the beloved disciple died ; and 
how different some of the ancient martyrs triumphed over 
their final foe. 

" I do not know how it is," said a certain physician, i( that 
my Methodist patients seem to feel it such an easy thing to 
die." You do not know ? For once then the mystery shall be 
revealed. Whether Methodists, or of any other name, if the 
love of Christ is in their hearts, they will sing amidst the 
pai^ of dissolving nature — 

11 Jesus can make a dying bed 

Feel soft as downy pillows are ; 
While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there." 

This is marvellous in our eyes, indeed. The Christian 
conquers when he dies; the tyrant foe comes, and with his 



108 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

giant grasp breaks open the prison house, and the liberated 
captive wings its upward flight to a throne above. '' This is 
the Lord's doing,' 1 and we will cease to wonder, for it is like 
himself, and like his work. 

Nor should we forget in considering this subject, the marvel- 
lous truth that the saints in glory will enjoy a higher state of 
felicity than if they had never sinned. Sin is, indeed, an awful 
evil ; but in respect to those who accept its remedy, it will not 
only entail no sad effects, but the very evils from which they 
have been saved will enhance their eternal bliss. Had man 
never sinned, he would doubtlessly have stood in the relation 
of a servant, or a subject of the heavenly King ; but now under 
the reign of grace, being mystically united to Christ, he bears 
the more endearing epithet of son, and will finally be promoted 
to royal honours. " He (Jesus Christ) has made us kings 
and priests unto God and his Father." Rev. i. 6. Had sin 
never inflicted its blighting curse on earth, the happiness of 
man would have been liable to no interruptions, and his removal 
from earth to heaven, if that event had taken place, would 
probably have increased his felicity, but we have no means 
of ascertaining the exact proportion. But now trace the 
redeemed sinner through this scene of mortality and woe, till 
you behold him before the throne of God and the Lamb ; and 
while we are conscious that he enjoys all the sources of bliss 
which he would have enjoyed had he entered heaven from a 
state of innocence, you will perceive that his most exalted 
felicity arises from his redemption ; and we have reason to 
believe that the happiness of the glorified saints will be even 
superior to that of angels. For wiiile saints may join with 
angels in their highest ascriptions of praise, there is a chorus 
in the songs of the redeemed which angels cannot sing. 

The saints will tune their golden harps to higher and richer 



THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 109 

strains than angel harps can sound, and with stronger emotions 
of gratitude and love will sing in the sweetest melodies of 
heaven, " Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins 
in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto 
God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and 
ever." Rev. i. 6. " How marvellous in our eyes" this work 
of God, that our very degradation and misery should be made 
the occasion of our promotion to higher honours and more 
richer joys. We argue here, that in the operations of the 
material world, the effect cannot destroy the cause ; but in 
Heaven's scheme of mercy there is a wonderful reverse. Sin, 
the cause of all our sorrows and of death, has not only been 
destroyed, but by the very dark and dreary passage it has 
prepared for our entrance to our final home, we are introduced 
to more splendid mansions, to happier society, and to richer 
rewards. 

There is still another marvel to tell. Hark! what the 
beloved disciple said, <l And there appeared a great wonder in 
heaven." Rev. xii. 1. But, my brethren, if we get within that 
place, of whose glory John was permitted to have only a distant 
view, we shall behold greater wonders than John had then 
ever seen. Among the ten thousand wonders that will there 
greet our ravished eyes, ourselves will be the greatest of them 
all. When we look down and fathom the horrible pit out of 
which we have been raised, and see the thrones of glory on 
which we are seated, and the splendour of our shining crowns, 
and feeling the exceeding great and eternal weight of glory, 
look upwards still and view the Lamb in his own light, with 
highest strains we shall sing — 

" Amazing love ! how can it be, 

That thou, my God, shouldst die for me !" 

When we look around us, and see there our friends and 



110 THE CHIEF CORNER-STONE. 

companions in the kingdom and patience of Jesus, the old 

veterans of the cross, our fathers and mothers, our brethren 

and sisters, our children, and the young disciples of the Saviour ; 

and when we take a deeper glance into the bottomless pit, and 

look higher and yet higher still to joys above, we shall wonder 

on and inquire — 

" How ca$ it be, thou heavenly King, 
That thou shouldst us to glory bring ?" 
Make slaves the partners of thy throne, 
Decked with a never-fading crown 1" 

Well then may it be said of this work, it is " marvellous in 
our eyes;" and the more we view it, the more marvellous it 
appears. 

We have here the assurance that this temple shall be com 
pleted. God has promised, and what more can we ask ] He 
has never failed in anything he has undertaken. The commo- 
tions of nations will not shake its foundations. We need have 
no fears. It must rise unless the Builder dies or abandons 
his work. 



SERMON VII, 



THE KINGDOM OF HEATEN. 



And in the days of these icings shall the God of heaven sfcf 

UP A KINGDOM, WHICH SHALL NEVER BE DESTROYED J AND THE KINGDOM 
SHALL NOT BE LEFT TO OTHER PEOPLE, BUT IT SHALL BREAK IN PIECES 
AND CONSUME ALL THESE KINGDOMS, AND IT SHALL STAND FOREVER. 



Daniel ii. 44. 



" God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake, in 
time past, unto the fathers by the prophets," was pleased to 
make several important revelations concerning things to come* 
Amongst those by whom he chose to reveal to his people the 
mysteries of futurity, Daniel was not the least highly favoured* 
He was of the number of those whom Nebuchadnezzar, king 
of Babylon, captured at the siege of Jerusalem, and carried 
away with him to his own dominions. But the God whom 
he served was with him there ; and although he was deprived 
of the privileges* and cut off from the endearments of his own 
native land, yet even when a captive in a foreign country, he 
was raised to the highest station of honor and influence. By 
the good hand of the Lord, which was continually upon him, 
he was brought into great favour with the king ; and such was 



112 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

the spirit of wisdom and understanding lie possessed, that in 
all matters of importance lie was the king's most confidential 
advisor. It was while a captive in Babylon that he delivered 
those prophecies, which have been viewed by the Church in 
every age as of the highest importance, and were of special 
benefit to the Jewish people at that eventful period of their 
history. The greater part of the nation were at this time 
captives in Babylon, whither the Lord had permitted them to 
be carried, as a punishment for their sins ; and whatever hopes 
they might have previously entertained, as being the chosen 
people of God, must have now been cut off in consequence of 
their deplorable condition. With many a fallen tear did they 
remember Zion ; surrounded with the most gloomy prospects, 
with what sad emotions did they think of former joys, now no 
longer theirs. They still prefer Jerusalem above their chief 
joy; but they scarcely dare entertain the hope of ever being 
permitted to re-visit the delightful scenes of their native land, 
of placing their feet within the gates of their beloved city, and 
of going up with the tribes of Israel to worship in the temple. 
Bat Daniel, favoured with the visions of God, looked through 
the intervening mists and clouds to the clear sky beyond. 
Confident himself in the certainty of the accomplishment of 
the promises of God, he "encourages his captive brethren to 
expect their deliverance from captivity and restoration to their 
own land. But his prospective vision extended farther still; 
he looked beyond the mere temporal deliverance of his own 
nation, and the re-establishment of the kingdom of Judah ; 
his eye was attracted to gaze upon an object of higher import- 
ance, even that of the spiritual deliverance of the whole human 
family, and the establishment of the Messiah's dominion ; and 
how necessary were these revelations to the Jewish people at 
this gloomy period ! They were now suffering for their sins. 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 113 

They had forfeited their liberty for a season by their disobe- 
dience. But theirs were the promises still. God had not cast 
away Israel forever ; their punishment was but corrective and 
for a time ; and to sustain their expiring faith, while surrounded 
by this shadow of its death, they are assured by the prophetic 
visions of Daniel, their fellow captive, that all the designs of 
God concerning them would be accomplished. 

The first of the prophecies of Daniel, and that which may 
be considered as the foundation of all the rest, is the inter- 
pretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The circumstances 
which gave rise to this event are briefly related by the prophet 
himself. 

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, having made many 
and extensive conquests, and being settled in quiet and secure 
possession of the throne of his mighty empire, directed his 
thoughts to the contemplation of futurity. While upon his 
bed he was revolving in his mind what should afterwards come 
to pass; what should be the future condition of his family, 
and what kingdoms should arise after his own. These reveries 
were succeeded by dreams, by which his mind was greatly 
troubled, and his sleep departed from him. A message was 
hastily sent to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the 
sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, men who professed to be possessed 
of skill and understanding in the interpretation of dreams # 
They readily obeyed the summons, expecting, no doubt, by 
their ingenuity, to be able to conceal their ignorance of futurity. 
They appeared before the king, and the king said unto them, 
" I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know 
the dream." With all the confidence of seZ/^assurance they 
reply, " Tell thy servants the dream and we will show the 
interpretation." But so indistinctly were the traces of the 
dream left upon his memory, that he was utterly unable to 



114 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

relate it to them. He therefore answered, '' The thing is gone 
from me ; if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with 
the interpretation thereof, ye shall he cut in pieces, and your 
houses shall be made a dunghill." They expostulate with him 
upon the unreasonableness of his request, and remonstrate 
against the injustice of the decree, declaring that there is not 
a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter, nor can 
another king be found to make a demand so unreasonable. 
Upon this reply the haughty spirit of the king was roused ; 
unaccustomed to opposition, he could not well bear this refusal 
of the magicians to comply with his unjust demands, and in 
his fury, he issues the cruel order to slay all the wise men of 
Babylon. And as tyrants have instruments always ready to 
execute their orders, however unjust or cruel, no sooner did 
the decree of the king go forth, than the agents of his cruelty 
commenced their bloody work. 

Daniel and his three innocent companions being numbered 
with the wise men of Babylon, are sought by these king- 
commissioned murderers, as the objects of his senseless frenzy. 
Daniel, hitherto unacquainted with what had taken place, 
inquired of Arioch, the person whom the king had appointed 
to execute his murderous decree, '' why is the decree of the 
king so hasty ?" and being informed of the matter, he desired 
that a little time might be given him, and he would show unto 
the king the interpretation. Daniel went immediately to his 
own house, and made the thing known unto his three com- 
panions, and in answer to their united prayers, the dream and 
the interpretation are revealed unto Daniel in a vision of the 
night. Having obtained an audience with the king, he with 
deep humility acknowledges, that it is not on account of any 
superior wisdom of his own that he was able to tell the king 
his dream, and to make known unto him the interpretation, 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 115 

but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh 
known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter 
days. " Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, 
are these : As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy 
mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter ; and 
he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come 
to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for 
any wisdom that I have more than any man living, but for 
their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the 
king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 

" Thou, king, sawest, and behold a great image ! This 
image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee ; 
and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of 
fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his 
thighs of brass, his legs of iron, and his feet part of iron and 
part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out with - 
out hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of 
iron and clay and brake them in pieces. Then was the iron 
the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces 
together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing- 
floors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found 
for them, and the stone that smote the image became a great 
mountain, and filled the whole earth." 

This is the dream, and in the interpretation Daniel informs 
the king, that the image formed of four different kinds of metal 
represented four great monarchies which would successively 
arise after each other, whose comparative wealth, refinement 
and power, would be similar to the materials of which the image 
representing them was composed. But ere these monarchies 
shall have passed away, and particularly while the last of the 
four is yet standing, undiminished in its strength, another 
kingdom shall arise, different from any of the former, whose 



116 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN 

supernatural commencement is represented in the vision of the 
king, by the stone cut out without the application of the artist's 
hand. This kingdom, so different from every other, in its 
beginning, was designed to possess the same diversity of charac- 
ter throughout its entire existence; and the time of its erection, 
the stability of its power, the unchangeableness of its adminis- 
tration, the extent of its conquests, and the length of its dura- 
tion, are thus expressed by Daniel in the words of the text : 

" And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set 
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the king- 
dom shall not be left to other people, hut it shall break in pieces 
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." 

I. The first thing to which our attention is directed in con- 
sidering this subject, is the time referred to by the phrase, '''In 
the days of these kings.'' The great and terrible figure seen 
by the king in the vision, .Daniel informs him, is designed to 
represent human power and dominion, and the various metals 
of which it was composed, to typify the various kingdoms 
which would arise. It consisted of four different metals, gold, 
silver, brass, and iron, mixed with clay; and these four metals, 
according to Daniel's own interpretation, signify so many king- 
doms, and the order of their succession is clearly denoted by 
the relation of the several parts of the image, the head and 
higher parts signifying the earlier, and the lower parts the later 
times. 

The head of this image was of fine gold, and this, Daniel says, 
represented the then existing monarchy ; as in his interpreta- 
tion he addresses Nebuchadnezzar the king, *' Thou art this 
head of gold," Dan. ii. 38. The Babylonian empire was there- 
fore represented by this head of gold, being a very proper 
emblem of it, on account of its great wealth ; and Babylon, the 
metropolis of the empire, is for the same reason called by 



THE KINGDOM OE HEAVED 11? 

Titian, " The golden city." Isaiah xiv. 4. li The breast and 
the arms of silver" Daniel thus interprets, " After thee shall 
arise another kingdom inferior to thee." 

In consulting the page of history, we find that the kingdom 
which arose next after that of the Babylonians (or Chaldeans), 
was the Medo-Persiam The two arras and shoulders, Josephus 
says, signify that the empire of the Babylonians should be . 
dissolved by two kings* These two kings were those of the 
Medes and Persians, whose powers were united in the person 
of Cyrus, who was the son of one of those kings, and the son- 
in-law of the other. He besieged and took Babylon, put an 
end to that empire, and upon its ruins erected the Medo- 
Persian, or the Persian, as it is more usually called, — the 
Persians soon having gained the ascendancy over the Medes. 

The prophet in his interpretation goes on to say, " And 
another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over 
all the earth." To no other kingdom does this description so 
properly apply as to the Macedonian. Alexander the Great 
subverted the Persian empire and set up the Macedonian in 
its stead, and this was very fitly represented by brass, the 
Greeks being famous for their brazen armour, and their most 
usual epithet was — «' Q, xxXxoxituvss A%a«oJ," — the brazen- 
coated Greeks. This third kingdom is said to bear rule over 
all the earth ; and to all who are acquainted with history, it 
is well known that so extensive were the conquests of Alexander, 
that he commanded himself to be proclaimed king of all the 
world ; not that he really conquered the whole world, but he 
had considerable dominions in all the three parts of the world 
then known; and, as a certain author (Arrian) remarks, "he 
appeared to himself and to those abdut him to be master of 
all, both earth and sea." 

Concerning the fourth kingdom, represented by the legs and 



US THE KINGDOM OF HKAVfiN. 

feet of the image, there has been some diversity of opinion ; 
but a careful comparison of the interpretation given by the 
prophet, with the page of history, will lead to the only reason^ 
able conclusion, that there is no nation to which this description 
is applicable but the Roman. The Roman empire was next in 
succession to the Macedonian ; it was stronger and larger than 
any of the preceding, and the Romans brake in pieces and 
subdued all the former kingdoms. As Josephus has remarked, 
that the two arms of silver denoted the kings of the Medes and 
Persians, so in like manDer it may be said that the two legs of 
iron signified the two Roman Consuls. This empire was at 
length divided into ten kingdoms, answering to the ten toes of 
the image* These kingdoms retained much of the old Roman 
strength, and manifested it on several occasions, so that the 
kingdom was partly strong and partly broken. 

Having thus passed as briefly as possible through this neces-* 
sary reference to the history connected with this subject, we 
find that the time referred to in the text is in the days of these 
Roman kings ; for, immediately after speaking of the division 
of the fourth monarchy into ten kingdoms, answering to the 
number of the toes upon the feet of the image, the prophet 
adds, "In the days of these kings" — evidently meaning those 
of whom he had last spoken—" shall the God of heaven set up 
a kingdom." 

This is, doubtless, to be understood as descriptive of the 
kingdom of the Messiah, or the Gospel dispensation, which is 
frequently called a kingdom. Four kingdoms are reckoned 
in succession, and consequently this is the fifth, and accordingly 
we find that the kingdom of Christ was set up in the days of 
these kings, while the Roman empire was yet standing in its 
full strength. The erection of this kingdom is ascribed to the 
God of heaven, and the very manner in which it is here intro- 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 



110 



duced is sufficient to arrest the attention. In the rise, progress, 
government, and fall of all these empires, nothing but man is 
seen. Man is celebrated as the author of their existence, he 
alone is emblazoned in the pages of their history ; and to the 
exercise of his wisdom and power are ascribed all their achieve- 
ments. Or if a superior power is at all acknowledged, the gods 
of these kingdoms are nothing more than the mere creations 
of their own fancy, and man appears alone as the Alpha and 
the Omega, the sole originating and continuing cause of their 
existence. But in this kingdom it is totally different ; man 
disappears, and God alone is seen. Human agency is indeed 
seen employed, but in such a manner, that the work is the 
work of God alone. The stone was a thing totally different 
from the image, it made its first appearance in a supernatural 
manner, and the kingdom of Christ is entirely different from 
the kingdoms of this world. Again, as this kingdom was set 
up by the God of heaven, it is therefore called the kingdom 
of God, or the kingdom of heaven, and this appellation is 
generally used to signify the kingdom of the Messiah. When 
our Saviour begun his public ministry, he told the people that 
the kingdom of heaven was at hand ; and in his inimitable 
form of prayer he directs his disciples, when addressing their 
heavenly Father, to pray '' Thy kingdom come." Other king- 
doms were raised by human ambition and worldly power, but 
this stands in striking contrast, not as the work of man, but 
of God, and is therefore, as it is truly called, * The kingdom 
of heaven," a kingdom not of this world. In short, in what- 
ever sense we understand this phrase, it appears equally true- 
The sovereign, the laws, and the powers of this kingdom are all 
divine. 

This kingdom here spoken of, set up by the God of heaven, 
is doubtless to be understood as referring to the Gospel dispen- 



120 THE KINGDOM Off HEAVEN. 

sation. It is very properly called a kingdom. Its king is the 
Lord Jesus Christ; its laws, all the doctrines and precepts of 
the Gospel ; and its subjects, those who by faith in Christ 
have obtained a reconciliation to God, and who live in obedi- 
ence to his holy commandments* He reigns spiritually en- 
throned in their hearts-, and receives from them the acceptable 
tribute of constant obedience and love. 

In its visible character this kingdom is the Christian 
Church, and the subjects of it, all who are really and truly 
connected with any of its various branches. 

But there is another and more particular sense in which 
this phrase is used in the Holy Scriptures, denoting that 
spiritual change wrought in the soul by the agency of the 
Holy Spirit, whereby the enmity of the heart is destroyed, 
the affections sanctified, and the moral nature of man entirely 
renewed* When Christ was asked by the Pharisees when 
the kingdom of God should come, he replied, " That it 
cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo, here ! 
or lo, there ! for behold the kingdom of God is within you." 
Luke xvii. 21. And the apostle Paul in speaking of the 
same thing, says, — " The kingdom of God is not meat and 
drink, but righteousness, peace* and joy in the Holy Ghost." 
Rom. xiv. 17. Were we to attempt a description of the excel- 
lencies of this kingdom, our attention would first be directed 
to the character of its king. His dignity is no less than that 
of the Son of God ; nay, he is called the Mighty God, the 
Everlasting Father, and consequently in him dwell supremely 
all the excellencies of the Eternal Mind. 

I. He is wise. In him are hid all the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge. Col. ii. 3. Such is the boundlessness 
of his wisdom, that he is never at a loss how to proceed in the 
administration of his government. He sees the end from the 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 121 

beginning, and knows well how to adopt the most proper 
regulations for the welfare of his subjects ; and out of the full- 
ness of his wisdom he imparts to his people. " If any man 
lack wisdom," says the apostle James, il let him ask of God, 
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it 
shall be given him." James i. 5. 

2. He is good. And what could have a more powerful 
effect to convince us of the benevolent disposition of a sover- 
eign towards his subjects, than to see him sacrifice his ease, 
his pleasures, his wealth, and even his life, for the good of his 
people ? And yet all this we behold in the monarch of this 
kingdom. " He who was rich, for our sakes became poor," 
not hy necessity, but of choice: having but the one noble 
object in view, that we through his voluntary humiliation and 
poverty might be rich. 2 Cor. viii. 9. We see him laying aside 
for a time his glory, his ease, and his pleasure, to endure revil- 
ing and reproach, to spend wearisome nights and days of 
labour and sorrow. We see him exchanging the honours of a 
throne, for the humble station of a servant j the pleasures of a 
paradise, for the sorrows of a sinful world ; the hallelujahs of 
the heavenly host, for the scoffs of wicked men ; the dignity and 
authority of a judge, for the shameful condition of a criminal ; 
and finally, as the crowning act of his goodness, we behold 
him giving up the pleasures of his own inherent life, to endure 
the anguish of a cruel death. Hitherto his tears had told his 
love, his labours had expressed his benevolence., the hearts of 
many gladdened by his mercy bore witness to his kindness, the 
garden watered with his sweat testified the fervency of his de- 
sire for the welfare of his people ; but when every other form of 
expression was exhausted^he bade the cross declare, in lan- 
guage of blood, the intenseness of his love. It is true that all 
this might be done by a mere earthly sovereign, whose subjects 



122 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

are loving and obedient ; his affection for them may lead him to 
sacrifice his all in their defence, but thus far only will humanity 
proceed : '' Greater love hath no man than this, that a man 
lay down his life for his friends." John xv. 13. But he made 
not this sacrifice for friends and loyal subjects, but for his 
enemies, for rebels against his government. He laid down his 
life for those very persons who put him to death ; and to con- 
vince even his very murderers that their cruelty had not 
quenched his love, he made them the first offer of pardon. Oh, 
hear him saying to the first messengers of his mercy, ''Go to 
all and tell them of my goodness ; go preach repentance and 
remission of sins among all nations, but begin at Jerusalem. 
Tell my most cruel enemies first, of my willingness to pardon 
and confer on them the honour of my peculiar favour." 

3. He is powerful. "All power," says he, " is given unto 
me in heaven and in earth." Mat. xxiii. 13. And even at a 
time when he appeared to be forsaken of all, and when his 
majesty was hidden under the veil of his humiliation and suf- 
fering, we hear him declare that legions of angels were at his 
command, (Matt. xxvi. 53,) waiting on ready wing to execute 
his orders, either to destroy his enemies, or to rescue him 
from their power. Possessed of almighty power, he is a sure 
defence of his people ; and against those whom he preserves, 
no enemy, however powerful, can prevail. 

4. But lastly, He is just. I know that this trait of his 
character has been most strangely and shamefully misrepre- 
sented, and that, too, even by professed subjects of his king- 
dom. He has been described as being more cruel than a Nero, 
as binding the fate, and sealing the eternal misery of millions, 
whom he himself has created for an immortality of existence, 
excluding them forever from the remotest possibility of 



THE KINGDOM OE HEAVED 123 

enjoying his favour and the blessings of his kingdom, and 
for no other reason than because such is his own good 
pleasure. 

There are those from whose testimony we form a differ- 
ent and far more favourable opinion concerning the character 
of this King : ''Behold," says the prophet Isaiah, (xxxii. 1,) 
"a King shall reign in righteousness. And righteousness 
shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfullness the girdle of 
his reins. Isa» xi. 5. And Zechariah exclaims, (ix. 9,) ** Re- 
joice greatly, daughter of Zion ; shout, daughter of Je- 
rusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee : he is just." The 
justice of his character, and the equitable nature of his admin- 
istration, are beautifully described by David in the seventy- 
second Psalm : " Give the king thy judgments, God, and 
thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall judge thy 
people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. The 
mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills 
by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he 
shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces 
the oppressor. In his days shall the righteous nourish, and 
abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. For he 
shall dehver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him 
that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and the needy, 
and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their 
souls from deceit and violence, and precious shall their blood 
be in his sight." 

The grand excellency of this kingdom, and that which 
renders it so different from every other is, its spiritual nature. 
" My kingdom," said the Redeemer, u is not of this world." 
John xviii. 36. The design of its erection was not merely the 
temporal happiness of a single nation or people, but the spiritual 
and eternal felicity of the whole family of man. 



134 Tfl£ KINGDOM OF HEAVEK. 

Men by nature are enemies to God, and consequently foes 
to their own peace and happiness ; but by the institutions of 
this kingdom their enmity is destroyed, and they are made the 
partakers of that bliss for which they were created. By means 
of the gracious provision made in the erection of this king- 
dom, they are delivered from the power of the prince of dark- 
ness, the spiritual dominion of Christ is erected in their hearts, 
he reigns in them, and by his grace controls their wills, sancti- 
fies their affections, and binds them by the loyalty of love to 
his sacred throne* They who were once not only aliens, but 
even enemies and rebels, are* by the subduing and renewing 
grace of this heavenly King, made fellow- citizens with the 
saints and of the household (or kingdom) of God. Strange 
and inconsistent as it may appear, the subjects of this kingdom 
are all those who have been guilty both of treason against the 
Sovereign and rebellion against his government. It is gener- 
ally supposed that persons of such a character can never become 
loyal subjects of any kingdom ; but not so in this kingdom. 
Its most inveterate enemies are, when subdued, generally 
found among its most devoted and loyal subjects. Do we wish 
a proof of this assertion ? What was Saul of Tarsus, but a 
zealous opposer and murderer of its subjects ? and what was 
Paul the apostle, but a powerful defender and a successful 
advocate of this kingdom ? 

The whole Scripture history of this kingdom shows but one 
design in its erection, and that was the restoration of man to 
the forfeited favour of his Creator, his deliverance from the 
power and defilement of sin, that thus he might be prepared 
to inherit the everlasting pleasures of the kingdom of glory. 

II. This kingdom the text says, was never to be destroyed. 

Of no merely earthly kingdom can this be said. They owe 
their origin to human power, or ambition, and derive their 



THE KINGDOM OP HEAVEN. 125 

support from the same source, and must necessarily partake 
more or less of the nature of the cause by which they were 
produced. The materials of which they are formed possess 
within themselves the elemental principles of their own de- 
struction. Pride, ambition, and worldly aggrandizement, are 
generally found to enter in, and to form the very bone and 
sinew of every earthly monarchy, and in proportion according as 
these prevail, will their stability be endangered. What we 
ask is the subject of every page of history, but. the rise and 
fall of kingdoms and empires ? We see here and there a 
a kingdom or empire progressively advancing to a degree of 
stability, and power of defence, apparently sufficient to defy 
the attacks of any invading foe, however hostile or powerful, 
but suddenly has its strength departed, and left as a resistless 
and easy prey to an inferior force. 

Babylon once could challenge the nations to combat, but 
it yielded at length to the destroyer an unresisting captive. 
This mighty empire was destroyed by the Medes and Per- 
sians : their empire was next overthrown by the Macedo- 
nians, and these last in their turn were conquered by the 
Romans. These are but a few of the numerous instances of 
the destruction of worldly empires ; and here too we behold 
the cause of their ruin was the power of an invading foe. 
But even where this cause does not appear, their destruction 
is not the less certain. Like as the walls of a stately edifice, 
even when built of the most durable materials, and untouched 
by the spoiler's hand, will in the progress of time tumble to 
the ground, so will every earthly monarchy be finally dissolved 
from the very nature of the materials of which they are 
composed. 

Now, this kingdom is here presented in happy and striking 
contrast to every other. Other kingdoms were set up by man j 



126 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

this was the work of God ; others after existing a limited 
period were broken in pieces and scattered, but this shall 
never be destroyed. As this kingdom is the work of the God 
of Heaven, it must necessarily partake of the nature of its 
Founder. The imperishable materials of which it is composed, 
the dignity of its King, the excellence of its laws, and the 
. character of its subjects, are peculiarities of this kingdom 
which might lead us to entertain the strongest hopes of its 
permanent duration. But when we consider the mighty 
efforts that have been made, not only to prevent its erection, 
but also to destroy it root and branch, its long existence, upon 
natural principles of reasoning would be pronounced impos- 
sible. Against no other kingdom has there ever been such 
a united array of opposition. At its commencement, hostility 
to it was almost universal ; and, through every period of its 
existence the combined powers of earth and hell have been 
perseveringly employed to effect its overthrow. Kings and 
Emperors have arrayed themselves against it, they have taken 
counsel together, and joined in unholy league to blot out from 
under heaven even the very memorial of its existence. They 
have triumphed over its supposed destruction, and erected 
monuments, as they imagined, of its perpetual ruin. 

To withstand and to overcome this mighty phalanx of 
opposition, it possesses no disciplined legions, no political force, 
or engine of destructive warfare. And yet it clings to it s 
favorite hope, that it shall never be destroyed. It is true 
indeed that its means of defence do not appear to be sufficient 
to withstand the force of opposition in active array against it, 
but still its watchward is, " Never to be destroyed." 

Where then, is the secret of its defence 1 That it has hitherto 
withstood every attack of its foes is a fact of which we are 



THE KINGDOM OP HEAVEN. 127 

the witnesses, but who can unfold the mystery ? The Lord 
our God in the midst of it is mighty, his protection has ever 
been as a wall of fire round about it. 

When this kingdom was first set up, and when to all human 
appearance it stood upon a tottering basis, even then the 
decree was established, " Upon this rock will I build my 
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" 
Then, too, the song was sung, "We have a strong city, salva- 
tion will God appoint for walls and bulwarks." Isaiah 
xxvi. I. And by the Apostle Paul it is called emphatically, 
"A kingdom which cannot be moved." Heb. xii. 23. 

And what stronger reason can we wish to have, upon which 
to ground our expectation that it will never be destroyed, than 
the delightful fact, that it has hitherto stood unmoved? 
Already more than eighteen hundred years have its means of 
defence proved more than sufficient to resist every hostile 
attack, and to put to flight the armies of the aliens. It is true, 
indeed, that some of the subjects of this kingdom have fallen 
in the contest, but they have fallen, not as conquered foes, 
but as victorious heroes ; their very dying shouts have in- 
creased the courage of their fellow soldiers, and alarmed the 
prince of darkness upon his ghostly tribunal, and shaken the 
pillars of his dreary domains. The most extensive and 
powerful combinations have been formed in vain to effect 
its destruction, the sneers of the infidel, the rage and the 
malice of the wicked, and the treachery of pretended friends, 
with all their united force, have proved too feeble to demolish 
even the weakest parts of its bulwarks of defence. Well then 
may the subjects of this kingdom entertain the hope that it 
will never be destroyed. If every previous attempt of its 
enemies to effect its ruin has not only proved unsuccessful, 
but even recoiled with terrible vengeance upon their own 



128 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

heads, we may reasonably conclude that every future attempt 
will share the same fate, and when all the artillery of oppos- 
ing forces is discharging upon it its heaviest fire, the motto 
of the subjects of this kingdom shall resound with echoes of 
triumph, « It shall never be destroyed." 

III. The text farther says, " And the kingdom shall not 
be left to other people." 

How different is it in this respect from every other kingdom : 
seldom does it happen that a government continues long in 
the possession of any one people. Human dominions are 
perpetually changing from one nation to another ; like as the 
Babylonian Empire passed into the hands of the Persians, 
their empire was next possessed by the Macedonians, and this 
last was taken by the Romans ; and these different dominions, 
though situated in the same region, at each successive change 
were essentially lost, both in their nature and name, from the 
character of the people by whom they were possessed. In 
casting our eyes over the chart of history, the constant 
changes in human governments which have taken place in 
every age, are strikingly apparent. Here we see one kingdom 
existing for a short period, and then passing into the hands of 
another people, and this in a little time bearing the name of 
a different nation, none continuing for any considerable space 
in the possession of a people of the same name and character. 
But in this kingdom set up by the God of heaven it is totally 
different. This will continue in the possession of the same 
people through every age ; and in all essential regulations it 
will retain a uniformity of character. Its King will never 
vacate his throne, " The Lord will be king in Zion forever," 
and under his immediate superintendence will the affairs of 
this government be administered. Men will indeed be em- 
ployed in this kingdom as agents in executing or carrying 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVED 129 

forward its plans, but in such a manner that the government 
will be as really of God as its establishment. 

But as this kingdom is different throughout its entire nature 
from the kingdoms of this world, so are its subjects different 
from those of every other ; and the people to whom alone this 
kingdom is left are the people of God, a nation which he has 
prepared for the possession of this spiritual dominion. Hence 
we are told by Daniel that " The saints of the Most High shall 
take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for 
ever and ever." Dan. vii. 13. And again he says, — " And 
the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom 
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the 
saints of the Most High." Dan. vii. 27. The apostle Peter, 
when describing the people to whom this kingdom is left, says : 
*'Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy 
nation, a peculiar (or a purchased) people ; that ye should show 
forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness 
into his marvellous light : Which in time past were not a 
people, but are now the people of God ; which had not obtained 
mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter, ii. 9-10. 

The lawful possessors of this kingdom, then, are those who 
have been delivered from the power of darkness, and translated 
into the kingdom of God's own dear Son. It belongs to them 
not merely by virtue of inheritance, but more especially by 
right of fitness. This is emphatically the kingdom of God, 
they are the people of God; this is a kingdom not of this 
world, they are not of this world; this is a spiritual kingdom ) 
they are a spiritual people ; the laws of God are the statutes of 
this kingdom, their delight is in the law of God : and these 
are the only persons to whom the affairs of this kingdom can 
be properly entrusted. None others are possessed of the 
qualifications necessary to understand its nature, and to 

G-2 



130 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

administer its affairs correctly. However men may be skilled in 
science, and learned in the wisdom of this world, they under- 
stand not the things concerning the kingdom of God, unless 
to their worldly wisdom they add the wisdom which cometh 
from above. It would be easy to prove the truth of this asser- 
tion by referring to the sacred oracles. We hear the Lord 
Jesus Christ declaring to Nicodemus, a learned ruler or teacher 
among the Jews, — u Except a man be born again (or from 
above) he cannot see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. The 
apostle Paul to the Corinthians asserts that " The world by 
wisdom knew not God." 1 Cor. i. 21. And again, to the 
same polished people, he says, — " The natural man receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness 
unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spirit- 
ually discerned." ii. 14. The legal heirs of this kingdom are 
those in whose hearts it is established, who have been made 
acquainted with its mysteries by receiving the spirit of its 
Founder or King, the Lord Jesus Christ. None are qualified to 
take a part in the affairs of this kingdom but such as are really 
and truly the subjects of it. Men may boast of their descent, 
of their learning, or of the uninterrupted succession of the 
authority by which they were appointed to hold office in this 
kingdom, but unless they can furnish some higher proofs than 
these of the legality of their appointment — even proofs that they 
are experimentally initiated into the spiritual mysteries of this 
kingdom — they have neither right nor title to their assumed 
station ; and until these necessary epistles of their commenda- 
tion are known and read, they should be considered in their 
true character, as aliens and intruders. This may be thought 
by some uncharitably severe. Be it so. But wbile our severity 
is so far exceeded by the recorded declaration of Christ him- 
self, we have no cause for any serious alarm. In the tenth 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 131 

chapter of the Gospel by St. John, his kingdom is compared 
to a sheep-fold, and himself the only door of entrance ; and he 
there says, — " Verily I say unto you, He that entereth not in 
by the door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth up some other 
way, the same is a thief and a robber." John x. 1 . 

To this one people this kingdom is left, a nation of charac- 
ters, rather than of name. As the real spiritual people of God 
are the only proper persons to whom this kingdom can be 
left, so are they the only ones. " It is your Father's good 
pleasure,'- said Christ to Ms disciples, f to give you the king- 
dom." Luke xii. 32. And to his apostles particlarly, as the 
ambassadors of this kingdom, in his last bequest he said, " I 
appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed 
unto me." Luke xxii. 29. It is the rich inheritance of the 
people of God ; that which shall never be taken from, nor 
given to, any other. They alone possess a title and a 
meetness for the enjoyment of the spiritual blessings which 
constitute the peculiar glory of this kingdom, and for the 
bestowraent of which it has been set up. 

IV. Another characteristic of this kingdom is its irre- 
sistible increase, and is thus expressed by the prophet, 
" It shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms." 

The progressive extension, and universal spread of the 
Messiah's kingdom, is frequently mentioned in the sacred 
volume, and is represented by a variety of figures. In one 
place it is compared to leaven, hid in a quantity of meal, 
which, by a slow and silent process, infuses its virtues into 
every part, until the whole partakes of the nature of the 
leaven. 

And, again, it is said, " The kingdom of heaven is like 
a grain of mustard seed cast into the ground ; which, 
although the least of all seeds, by the gradual yet percep- 



132 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

tive progress of vegetation, becomes a great tree, affording 
shelter to the fowls of heaven. The prophet Isaiah, speak- 
ing of the Messiah's reign, says, " Of the increase of his 
government and peace, there shall be no end." Isaiah ix. 7. 
In these inspired descriptions of the increase of this 
spiritual kingdom, it is represented as peacefully winning 
its widening way, and gradually extending its dominion by 
the constraining power of its own inherent excellencies. 
But the grand peculiarity of this kingdom, as it respects 
its enlargement, is its aggressive character. Not merely 
was it designed to possess the means of its own defence, 
but also to be furnished with force necessary to make 
extensive and illustrious conquests over the uncompromisingly 
hostile kingdoms of this world. It is true, indeed, that, 
to the eye of human reason, it does not appear to be 
armed with power sufficient to insure success in making 
aggressive movements against the more ostensibly powerful 
kingdoms of this world : but still the decree must stand, 
''It shall break in pieces, and consume" every other. 
And to show the supernatural manner in which these 
conquests were to be effected, was the appearance of 
the stone in the vision of the king. Here was an 
effect without the appearance of any sufficient cause to 
produce it. The stone is cut out of the mountain, but 
no hands are seen ; it breaks in pieces materials of a 
nature more solid than itself; but no superior power 
appears. The stone not only remains unbroken by its 
contact with these harder substances, but even continues 
to increase, until it becomes a great mountain, and fills 
the whole earth. Now all this was done not only without 
the appearance of any sufficient cause, but even contrary 
to reason. In the conquests of this kingdom the manner 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 183 

is the same. The power by which they are effected is a 
power unseen, though revealed. Human agency is seen 
employed in pushing forward the conquests of this king- 
dom ; but a Divine power, unseen, renders that agency 
successful. But how apparently inadequate the means 
employed to obtain the end proposed ! Had any person 
believed, in the days of our Saviour's ministry on earth, 
that the kingdom he was about to establish would exist 
even for a limited period, he would have been considered 
a visionary theorist. Had he asserted that it would finally 
prevail over every other, his words would have been 
esteemed but as the frantic ravings of a madman. A 
despised Galilean and a few Jewish peasants, of neither 
note nor influence, were the only visible agents employed 
in erecting this kingdom. They had to contend with the 
incurable bigotry of the Jewish nation, united to the 
superstitions of the Roman people ; the chief priests, and 
pharisees, and civil rulers of every grade were in com- 
bined and active array against them. Yet, notwithstanding 
the inadequateness of the cause, how astonishing the 
effects produced ! The Roman empire, composed of the 
substance of the whole image, was soon broken in pieces ; 
the established superstitions of the people were in a little 
time subverted, although they had been rendered venerable 
through age, and had acquired dignity from common 
sanction; thus introducing or effecting a moral revolution 
throughout this extensive empire. In one day three 
thousand notorious enemies were made the subjects of this 
kingdom. Wherever the first ambassadors unfurled their 
banners, multitudes flocked to the standard of their king, 
so that in a short time, it might be said, these kingdoms 
were broken in pieces and their moral constitution and 



134 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

appearance entirely changed. True, the instruments in them- 
selves were insufficient for the purpose, and yet the effect 
was produced. But a more powerful agency than we dis- 
cover in natural causes was at work ; or the kingdom of 
Christ, instead of advancing victoriously against the most 
powerful opposition, must have been buried in its own 
insignificance. That agency was the power of God. The 
contest here spoken of is of such a nature that nothing 
less than the power of God can render it successful. It 
is not the contest of parties, but of principles. It is 
the contest of truth against error, holiness against sin, 
light against darkness, the kingdom of heaven against the 
kingdom of the devil. And this contest will ultimately 
prevail on the side of truth. However doubtful at times 
the cause of Christ may have appeared, the victory is cer- 
tain. The first agents of this contest could triumphantly 
say, tl The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but 
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong-holds ; 
# casting down imaginations, and every high thing that 
exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing 
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 
2 Cor. x. 4-5. Armed with divine virtue, the Gospel, secret, 
silent, and unobserved, enters the hearts of men, and sets 
up an everlasting kingdom. It eludes all the vigilance, 
and baffles all the power of the adversary. Bars, bolts, and 
dungeons are no obstacles to its approach ; bonds, tortures, or 
death cannot extinguish its influence. 

But leaving for a moment the figurative meaning of these 
words, we have here a prediction of the universal and triumphant 
spread of the Gospel, or kingdom of Christ, and the final 
prevalence of the pure doctrines of Christianity over every 
system of error. And in exact accordance with this interpre- 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 135 

tation of these words are several of the other inspired predic- 
tions. David, in the second Psalm, referring to the universal 
spread of the Messiah's dominion, represents the Father as- 
speaking to the Son, and saying, '' Ask of me and I will give 
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts 
of the earth for thy possession.'' And he did ask, in the 
language of the cross, a prayer of streaming blood ; and that 
prayer was heard; the rending rocks felt its power, the blushing 
sun could not bear to behold the agony with which that prayer 
was offered. The prinee of darkness, too, heard that prayer, 
and felt it as he heard, while he read in that petition the ruin 
of his own kingdom. But aware of the mighty opposing force 
against which these moral conquests would be obtained. He 
further adds, " Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou 
shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.'' In the 
seventy-second Psalm reference is made to the same subject, 
when he says, «* He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, 
and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that 
dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies 
shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles 
shall bring presents, the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer 
gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations 
shall serve him." John, the Revelator, when beholding in 
prophetic vision what would certainly come to pass, declares, 
that " The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms 
of our Lord and of his Christ." Rev. xi. 15. Various other 
passages might be quoted to prove that the expectation enter- 
tained by the subjects of this kingdom, of its universal dominion, 
rests upon the surest foundation, the immutable promises of 
God. But -v\e are taught by the words of the text, that the 
universal dominion of the kingdom of Christ will be one of 
conquest and not of treaty. We would be among the last to 



136 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, 

advocate or even justify aggressive warfare] nay, we believe it 
to be absolutely and unconditionally wrong for one nation or 
people to make hostile attacks upon another for the purpose of 
making conquests j but in this kingdom the case is entirely 
different, and the very charter by which its subjects enjoy their 
liberties, compels them to make aggressive movements against 
the kingdoms of this world. They possess the only artillery 
by which every other kingdom is to be broken in pieces and 
consumed, and that is the artillery of Gospel truth. They hold 
in their hands the only weapon to whose conquering power a 
rebellious world will submit, and that weapon is the sword of 
the Spirit, which is the word of God. " Go into all the world,'' 
is the command of the Sovereign of this kingdom, and take 
with you the weapons of your warfare : lt Go preach the Gospel 
to every creature." I give you an unlimited commission, and 
full authority to storm every garrison of my revolted subjects, 
to assault and batter down every strong hold of the kingdom 
of darkness, enter every territory of the enemy, and cease not 
from urging forward your victorious movements until the last 
hostile region is subdued. Your weapons are these : " God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso- 
ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life." John iii. 16. " He that believeth and is baptized shall 
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark 
xvi. 16. These are the only instruments of warfare I give you 
with which to destroy the uncompromising hostility of the 
world. But the inquiry may be made, " Can we reasonably 
hope that the kingdom of Christ will yet finally prevail ?" We 
answer, we can. And even were we not assured of this by 
the unfailing promise of Jehovah, arguing from what has 
already been done towards the accomplishment of this glori- 
ous event, we might conclude the certainty of its final 
triumph. 



THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 137 

From its commencement how steadily, and, at times, how 
rapidly, has the kingdom of the God of heaven advanced 
against all the opposition with which it has been assailed. 
And when we consider the present accelerated movements of 
the Redeemer's kingdom towards its appointed destination of 
universal conquest, we entertain no fearful apprehensions 
respecting the final issue. Never before, perhaps, were its 
prospects more cheering, or the victories of the cross more 
extensive and illustrious. In heathen lands the ensigns of 
this kingdom have been erected ; a longer line of battle than 
ever before was seen is now set in array, and hundreds and 
thousands of the devoted victims of the prince of darkness are 
almost daily becoming the willing captives cf the cross. It 
never was more dangerous than now to be the enemy of 
Christ's kingdom. All such must speedily yield to the vic- 
torious power of the Gospel, or be crushed beneath that 
chariot in which the Son of God is riding in triumph through 
the vast dominions of a conquered empire. 

There was a time when the cause of Christ wore a doubtful 
aspect, when even the most stout-hearted men were led to trem- 
ble ; but that time has gone by, and none are afraid now but 
cowards. Can we see what is doing and yet doubt ? Can 
we hear of the heralds of the Gospel planting the standard 
of the cross in the very centre of the enemy's camp and yet 
be afraid ? Can we hear of the breaking of the long-cherished 
heathen superstitions, of the idol-gods of nations tumbling 
from their lofty thrones, and yet doubt that the time will 
soon arrive when there shall be one Lord, and his name one ? 
Already has idolatrous Asia received the missionaries of the 
cross, and her Moloch, with all his cursed family of gods, 
sickens at the prospect. The darkest places of his empire are 
now casting a lighter shade, and the sceptre he has so lono* 



188 THE KINGDOM OP HEAVEN. 

held with undisputed right begins to tremble in his palsied 
hand. Ethiopia is stretching out her hands to God, and em- 
bracing the messengers of salvation ; and the isles, which have 
so long and anxiously waited for the law are joyfully exclaim- 
ing, " How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those 
that bring good tidings." Isaiah lii. 7. 

The decree has gone forth that this kingdom shall prevail 
over every other ; and although its prospects may sometimes 
assume a doubtful, or even a fearful aspect, yet we dare not 
doubt. Its final triumph is certain, and its universal con- 
quests very near. The stone is rolling through the earth, 
and increasing as it rolls ; already has it reached to every 
quarter of the globe, and, even at its present rate of increase, 
the time must soon arrive when, grown to its mountain size, 
it will fill the whole earth. 

But there is another point to which our attention is directed 
ere we leave this part of the subject, and it is this, — The 
aggressive force of this kingdom is not directed against the 
political constitution of any civil government. " We wrestle 
not," says the Apostle Paul, " against flesh and blood," 
(Ephes. vi. 12,) and there is no principle in Christianity 
which justifies an attack upon the civil institutions of any 
country. But although the kingdom of Christ does not 
primarily seek to change human governments, merely as 
such, yet wherever it extends, it exerts a more or less 
powerful influence upon them. And if we examine the 
records of the past, we will find that wherever the prin- 
ciples of the Gospel are embraced, or even known, there the 
absolute tyranny of despotism gives way ; the arbitrary char- 
acter of heathen legislation is exchanged for the milder and 
more beneficial exercise of power, guided by the pure precepts 
of Christianity. To what are we indebted for the excellent 



THE KINGDOM. OF HEAVEN. 139 

character of our civil and political institutions ? Why are 
we not under the iron rule of a tyrant's will ? I know that 
some will say the wisdom of our legislators has given us our 
mild and wholesome laws. But our reply is, That we are 
wholly indebted to the kingdom of Christ, to the influence of 
the doctrines and precepts of the Gospel, for the happy con- 
dition in which we are placed. And when the kingdom of 
the God of heaven shall universally prevail, then will kings be 
the nursing fathers, and queens the nursing mothers of their 
people, and the world will present the pleasing sight of rulers 
and subjects seeking each other's good, and by their mutual 
endeavours for each other's welfare, embrace the whole in the 
arms of a happy and rejoicing family. 

V. Lastly. The final characteristic of this kingdom is, 
"It shall stand forever." 

How greatly is the glory of every earthly object shaded by 
the shortness of its duration ! We gaze with delight upon a 
splendid edifice, but how soon the mournful reflection rushes 
upon us, " A little time, and it will be seen no more." Luke 
xxi. 5, 6. We contemplate with pleasure , the excellencies 
and virtues of our friends ; but we are forced at the same 
time to entertain the saddening thought, that they will soon 
droop and die. But in surveying this spiritual building, the 
kingdom of Christ, we find no inscription upon it denoting 
its destruction or decay. The pleasure we derive from a con- 
templation of its beauty is not destroyed by anticipating its 
end. With all its excellencies and glory it will stand forever. 

Under whatever aspect we view this kingdom we find it 
entirely different from the kingdom of this earth. We have 
noticed its pleasing diversity of character in other respects as 
we passed along; the only peculiarity which now remains to 
be noticed is the unlimited duration of its existence. Other 



140 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

kingdoms, from their very nature must necessarily have an 
end; but this for the same reason must stand forever. There 
are two particular points in the description of this kingdom 
which, if attentively considered, will lead to this conclusion. 
And, first, it is said, that it shall never be destroyed ; and, 
second, that it shall break in pieces and consume every other. 
Now, since it is furnished with the means of its own defence, 
and armed with the force necessary to make universal con- 
quest ; as it cannot therefore be overthrown, and must con- 
tinually increase, the natural conclusion is, it must stand 
forever. Other express declarations of inspiration attest the 
same truth, that this is a kingdom which will have no end. 
Isaiah says, " Of the increase of his government and peace 
there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his 
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and 
with justice, from henceforth even for ever." Isaiah ix. 7. 
Daniel says the kingdom shall be given to " the saints of the 
Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom." Dan. 
vii. 27. And again, in the same chapter, he says, " I saw in 
the night visions, and behold one like the Son of man came 
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, 
and they brought him near before him. And there was given 
him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, 
nations and languages should serve him ; his dominion is an 
everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his king- 
dom that which shall not be destroyed. Yerse 13, 14. 

We have before noticed the dissolution of human empires, 
some by one means, and some by another : one cause of their 
destruction yet remains to be noticed. Even their prosperity 
is sometimes the cause of their overthrow ; and when eargerly 
pursuing the phantom object of universal empire, they sink 
beneath the incumbent weight of their own victories. But in 



TfiE kingdom oe heaven. 141 

the kingdom of Christ the case will be far otherwise. Every 
fresh victory will add to its stability ; every newly conquered ter- 
ritory will form a garrison, from which the armies of the living 
God shall go forth conquering and to conquer, until every hos- 
tile region is subdued, and there be nothing left to hurt or 
destroy in all God's holy mountain. 

But the existence of this spiritual kingdom is not limited 
even by the utmost boundaries of time. It will be coeval with 
the days of heaven. It is doubtless to be considered as the 
introductory part to the kingdom of glory, established for the 
purpose of fitting man for the felicities of his future and eter- 
nal state. Man is destined for an immortality of existence* 
and when the short period of his earthly career is closed his 
state will be fixed unalterably for ever ; and all those who 
have been the faithful subjects of this kingdom, or rather, all 
in whose hearts this kingdom has been established, will be 
subjects of the same for ever. The future blessedness of the 
saints of the Most High — the legal heirs of this kingdom — is 
not another state, but merely the perfection of the same. And 
as our poet has very beautifully expressed it : — 
" Thee in thy glorious realm they praise, 

And bow before thy throne ; 
We in the kingdom of thy grace, 

The kingdoms are but one. 
11 The holy to the holiest leads, 
From thence our sprits rise, 
And he that in thy statutes treads, 
Shall meet thee in the skies." 

(i It shall stand for ever" How has the ingenuity of a 
hostile world been racked to erase this blessed truth "for ever" 
from the pages of Inspiration. A poor infidel fool chose for 
his watchword, " Crush the wretch," — meaning, destroy the 
cause of Christianity — but he and his companions of the same 
school have long since learned that the kingdom of Christ must 



142 THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. 

and will stand, in spite of the united hostility of earth and 
hell. The God of heaven has decreed it, and it must be so t 
its foundation is as immovable as the pillars of heaven. And 
when earth and hell shall muster all their malignant forces in 
combined conspiracy against it, the triumphant echoes of the. 
saints of God will still be heard resounding through earth and 
skies, — u Thy throne, God, is for ever and ever." Heb. i. 8. 

As the last dispensation of the grace of God to man, it 
is called by the apostle Peter, rf The everlasting kingdom of 
our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ." 2 Peter, i. 11. After 
this there will be no succession 5 and immediately after the 
close of the gospel dispensation will commence the kingdom 
of eternal glory, the final and everlasting abode of all the 
faithful subjects of this kingdom of grace. 



SERMON VIII, 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 



Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever* 

Heb. xiii. 8. 



Such, then, is the unchangeable nature of Him who is set 
forth, as the only sure foundation^ upon which the children of 
fallen Adam can build their hopes of an immortality of bliss 
beyond the present brief and precarious state of existence. 
Throughout the entire volume of inspiration one design is 
strikingly apparent, and that is, a revelation of the character 
of God, as he is manifested to the world in the person of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. " To Him give all the prophets witness.' 9 
Acts x. 43. He was the burden of every message brought to 
mankind by the revealing spirit ; the object of pious faith in 
every age ; the centre in which all the prophecies met, and 
in which they received their fulfillment ; and to his sacrificial 
and sin-atoning death and perpetual intercession, all the sym- 
bols of the ceremonial law had reference ; and by him these 
shadowy representations of good things to come, were displaced 
and exchanged for the substance. In the fullness of the ap- 
pointed time, he, whose mediatorial work was represented by 
these mysterious allusions, made himself known by assuming 



144 TBlE IMMUTABILITY OF CfiBlST. 

the human nature, and entered upon the performance of the 
important work of human redemption. " The word was made 
flesh and dwelt among us 5 ' and having accomplished the pur- 
pose of his incarnation, he ascended up on high, but not with- 
out first appointing the means to publish abroad the salvation 
he had procured for guilty man. He commanded his apostles 
to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every crea- 
ture. Mark xvi. 13. In obedience to his command, they went : 
and what was the subject of their preaching ? It was Jesus 
Christ. To some, indeed, it was foolishness, and to others a 
stumbling block ; but to those who were awake to their danger, 
and concerned for their safety, it was the power of God and 
the wisdom of God : and what else can satisfy the awakened 
sinner? The dreaming moralist may be satisfied with a dry 
lecture on worldly ethics, and the merely nominal christian 
with a description of the rules of external christian conduct ; 
and nothing can be more pleasing to the man of science than 
a discourse in which the principles and pleasures of science are 
clearly unfolded and luminously described* But to the sinner, 
convinced of his wretched and dangerous condition, these sub- 
jects afford no consolation, but rather increase his misery. 
Thus, does he hear of the laws of nature ? he thinks of the 
laws of God which he has broken, and which condemn every 
transgressor to suffer eternal punishment. Does he hear 
described the wisdom and goodness of God, as displayed in 
the works of his hands ? alas 1 he remembers that against this 
Being of wisdom and goodness he has sinned. Does he hear 
the duty of obedience enforced ? the fearful denunciation of 
the law, " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all 
things written in the book of the law, to do them," fills him 
with dismay. To him no subject is interesting but that 
which answers the important question, What must I do to be 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 145 

saved ? And that subject is the doctrine of the cross. Stand- 
ing beneath the roar of Sinai's quaking brow, and the light- 
nings trembling over his unsheltered head, no voice attracts 
his attention but that which calls him away from impending 
ruin to a place of safety. That voice is the preaching of 
Christ. He indeed views in the doctrine of the cross the 
inflexible justice of God, and his unalterable hatred to sin 5 
but there also he sees justice satisfied, and an atonement made 
for sin. Bearing before him therefore' the propitiatory sacri- 
fice of the cross, he dares to approach and claim the pur- 
chased pardon. 

God has ordained by the foolishness of preaching to save 
them that believe, and as there is none other name under 
heaven given among men by which we can obtain salvation 
but the name of Christ, it follows as a natural conclusion, 
without any process of reasoning, that Jesus Christ should be 
the theme of every sermon* This was the view taken by the 
Apostles of the manner and design of preaching. They 
preached not themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. They 
determined not to know anything among men, save Jesus 
Christ and him crucified. They gloried in nothing save in 
the cross ; and to whatever persecutions, distresses, or dis- 
honour the preaching of the cross exposed them, it was their 
subject still. Did they preach to the polished Greeks ? Christ 
was their subject. Did they preach to the haughty Romans? 
Christ was their theme. Did they reason with the self-righte- 
ous and bigoted Jews ? the point to which they conducted all 
their arguments was to prove that he was the very Christ. In 
all their communications, salvation through Jesus Christ alone 
was their only topic ; and very properly then does the author 
of this epistle say to those to whom he was writing, " Remem- 
ber those who have the rule over you, who have spoken unto 
11 



146 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

you the Word of God ; whose faith follow, considering the 
end of their conversation ; Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, 
and to-day, and forever." 

There is but one subject contained in the text to which 
our attention is forcibly drawn, and that is the unchangeable 
perpetuity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every respect inter- 
esting to the children of men. 

The contemplation of one subject very commonly suggests, 
or is followed by its opposite. Thus do we meditate upon the 
immutability of God ? our thoughts turn to contemplate the 
frailty of man, the various changes through which he passes, 
and the dissolution to which he is destined. Do we think of 
the unfailing beauties and permanent pleasures of the future 
abode of the saints ? we are soon drawn to reflect upon the 
deformities and sorrows of our present habitation. The words 
of the text have thrown back our thoughts to the first dawn of 
creation, and in wandering over the whole tract of time, to 
mark the successive changes and certain decay to which all 
created things are subject. Of what else can it be said that 
"it is the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever ?" Of man ? 
" Your fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they live 
forever ?" Zech. i. 5. They are gone, and have no more portion 
of anything that is done under the sun. Where are the sages 
and heroes of antiquity, those who astonished the world by 
their wisdom, and terrified the nations by their valour ? 
They have given their instructions, and fought their battles, 
and are gone. Of kingdoms and empires can it be said that 
they are the same ? Where now is Babylon ? Where are 
Greece and Rome ? those mighty empires which seemed once 
to stand upon an imperishable foundation : they have existed 
their appointed time, and are fallen ; they have passed like 
shadows over the rock ; they have successively disappeared, 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHHfST, 14? 

and left scarcely a trace behind. Their names, it is true, still 
remain, but they are found in the same rolls that record their* 
dissolution. Are cities the same? What new is the state of 
ancient Babylon ? that great city whose strength seemed once 
proudly to defy the most destructive ravages of time* 
The cry has long since been heard, Babylon is fallen, is fallen* 
" We ask for Nineveh* and its place is not found ; for Baby- 
lon, and we find only the literal accomplishment of the pro- 
phetic description, * heaps and a dwelling place for dragons,witb* 
out an inhabitant ,' for ancient Rome, and we see the civilized 
world going to wonder at its ruins, and to read the plain 
inscription of grandeur and vanity. 5 ' (Watson's Sermons.) 
And Jerusalem, once the joy of the whole earth, honoured 
with the appellation of the city of the Great King ; where 
now is its magnificence and glory ? Where are the splendid 
buildings of the temple, adorned with goodly stones and gifts ? 
Its doom was foretold : " The days will come in which there 
shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be 
thrown down." Luke xxi. 6* And those days have long since 
come. But behold the instability of all things around us. 
Our friends and companions, how soon they leave us ! Yes- 
terday they were inhabitants of time, to-day of eternity. 
Yesterday we took sweet counsel with them ; but to-day their 
tongue is silent in death. By such meditations we shall be 
led to value more highly the sure and unchanging foundation 
upon which we, as the expectants of immortality, are per- 
mitted to rest our hopes of endless life. We shall return from 
this survey of the rapid changes and certain decay to which 
all earthly things are subject, repeating* with a higher 
emphasis and more holy joy, the consoling truth, "Jesus 
Christ is the same." What though my friends leave me, in 
Him I have " a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." 



148 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

Prov. Xviii. 2-t. What though I am deprived of my earthly 
possessions, and my riches make themselves wings and fly 
away, (Prov. xxiii. 5,) I know that through him I have in 
heaven a better and an enduring substance. And what 
though I must soon droop and die, and this tabernacle sink 
in ruinous decay, " I know that if my earthly house of this 
tabernacle were dissolved I have a building of God, a house 
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 1 Cor* v. 1. In 
whatever respect we contemplate this illustrious character, he 
rises in our estimation, and appears more fully worthy of our 
unbounded confidence and love. He is the same then, — 

I. In his Nature. 

Immutability belongs not to human nature in its fallen 
state. The voice of inspiration has declared that, " All flesh 
is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The 
grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away." 1 Peter 
i. 24. And if Jesus Christ be merely human he cannot 
sustain the character here given him. It is true he possessed 
a nature similar to man, "' the Word was made flesh and dwelt 
among us," but this human tabernacle was the dwelling-place 
of a superior nature. We have only to consult the sacred 
Bcriptures in order to arrive at a. proper conclusion con- 
cerning the nature of Christ* To him are ascribed the works 
of creation, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or 
principalities, or powers, all things were created by him, and 
for him. " And he is before all things, and by him all things 
consist." Col. i. 16-17. From this inspired testimony 
concerning Christ, we must conclude that whatever may be 
the dignity of his nature by the exertion of his own power, 
the heavens, and the earth, and all the host of them were 
formed. He spake, and at his word creation appeared; he 
commanded, and his command was obeyed. But one more 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 149 

proposition is necessary in order to form a logical conclusion 
concerning the nature of Jesus Christ. We have already 
proved by the inspired declaration that he is the Creator of 
all things. In the third chapter of this epistle, (Heb. iii. 4,) 
we are furnished with the proposition necessary to complete 
the argument. The Apostle there declares that " He who 
built (or created) all things is God." But Jesus Christ built 
(or created) all things : therefore Jesus Christ is God. 

We have here a regular syllogism whose major and minor 
premises are truths of revelation, the conclusion is therefore 
inevitable. His nature is divine. It is the brightness of the 
Father's glory and the express image of his person, and was 
from eternity an equal sharer with the Father in all the 
glories of the Godhead. And as God he is unchangeably the 
same; with him is neither variableness nor shadow of turning- 
He is not affected by those changes to which all created beings 
are subject. But what is the nature of God ? God is love* 
says the inspired Apostle. And where is not this blessed 
truth inscribed in legible characters ? The whole creation 
is a volume, and the subject of every chapter is love. His 
love was first manifested in the creation, and has continued 
uninterruptedly the same through all the lapse of time. The 
standard of every dispensation has been love, one continued 
and unchanged desire to render his creatures happy. But 
there is a more illustrious display of the love of God than 
appears in mere created nature, "herein is love," says the 
beloved Apostle. It would seem as though one exhibition of 
love brighter than the rest had shaded every other, and that 
one was the exhibition of the cross, " God so loved the world 
that he gave his only begotten Son." Even the sacred writers 
themselves, favoured as they were with the inspirations of 
the Holy Spirit do not attempt to describe the extent of this 



150 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

love ; they merely mention some of its effects, and find them- 
selves utterly at a loss for terms sufficiently expressive to 
proceed any further. That was love indeed, defying all 
description, whose brighest form was seen amidst the noon-day 
darkness which covered Judea's favoured land ; that was love, 
God incarnate dying for a rebel world, making peace by the 
blood of his cross, reconciling the offended God to offending 
man, by giving the innocent to suffer for the guilty, and thus 
preparing the materials to conquer and subdue the rebellious 
heart of man. And this love extends to all. How sung the 
inspired poet ? " The Lord is good to all, and his tender mer- 
cies are over all his works." Psa. cxlv. 9. Where do we find the 
limitation of his love ? In the distribution of his temporal 
blessings ? No, not there ; tl For he maketh his sun to rise 
on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and 
on the unjust." Matt. v. 45. The Lord upholdeth all that 
fall, and raiseth up all that be bowed down. He opens his 
hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. The eyes 
of all wait upon him and he gives them their meat in due 
season. Psa. clxv. 14. In the distribution of his spiritual 
blessings do we read the proscription of his love ? Hear his 
own testimony, " As I live, saith the Lord God, I .have no 
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn 
from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye — why will ye die, 
house of Israel." Ezek. xxxiii. 11, 12. " Ho, every one 
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no 
money ; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk 
without money, and without price." Isa. lv. 1-3. "Come 
unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest." Matt. xi. 28. And again, "For there is no 
difference between the Jew and the Greek : for the same Lord 
over all is rich unto all that call upon bim. For whosoever 



THE IMMUTABILITY OP CHRIST. 

shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Rom. 
x. 12, 13. After such glowing representations of the love of 
God, and his goodness which extends to all, how exceedingly 
freezing is that doctrine which teaches us that the love of 
God is confined to a favoured few ! And what a libel upon 
Him who lias declared in all the operations of his hands that, 
his nature and his name are love. He is in this respect 
unchangeably the same, and to him we may return from the 
contemplation of a changing world, saying, " Thou art the 
same, and thy years shall not fail.'' Heb. i. 12. 

II. He is the same in his Mediatorial Agency. 

No sooner had man transgressed the Divine commandment 
than a mediator became necessary ; one who should possess 
in himself all the qualities essential to make satisfaction to 
God in behalf of guilty man ; and nearly coeval with the 
first transgression was the promise of a mediator who should 
unite in himself all the qualifications necessary to reconcile 
the world unto God. He was the Lamb slain from the foun- 
dation of the world ; then he entered upon his priestly office, 
in which he has ever since continued ; and will continue to 
discharge the duties of his station, until the last ransomed 
spirit shall celebrate the latest song- of praise for his prevailing 
intercession. It is true that four thousand years elapsed from 
the time a mediator was promised, until he appeared among 
men in his true mediatorial character, the seed of the woman 
in the form of a servant ; but he was nevertheless the same ; 
and during this period his mediatorial agency was dimly 
shadowed forth by all the types, the figures, and symbolical 
representations of the ceremonial law. The grand design of 
this epistle is to give a true representation of the priesthood 
of Christ, and to show that the institutions of the ceremonial 
law were but the shadows of good things to come ; and were 



152 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

useful only so far as they were observed, accompanied with a 
prospective faith in hhn whose mediatorial work they were 
designed to represent. The Apostle declares that it is impos- 
sible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sin ; the 
blood of all the animals slain upon Jewish altars could not 
atone for one transgression ; the crimson torrent flowed in 
vain, unless it reached the precious blood of Christ, the 
slaughtered Lamb of God. Their incense altars might smoke 
perpetually, and smoke in vain, unless that smoke ascended 
by faith to the place of the Redeemer's intercession at the 
right hand of God. But the most important of all the insti- 
tutions of the ceremonial law was the office of the high priest. 
In him were typically combined all the most significant sym- 
bols of the plan of redemption. With the most devout and 
reverent solemnity, once every year he entered into the holiest 
place, bearing with him the blood of the appointed victims of 
sacrifice, which he there offered for the sins of the people ; 
thus showing forth and keeping up a perpetual symbolic repre- 
sentation of the entering in of the Great High Priest into the 
holy place, the tabernacle not made with hands, once for all, 
not with the blood of others, but with his own, by the shedding 
of which he has obtained eternal redemption for us. 

But these priests, important as was their office, and signifi- 
cant their work, were not suffered to continue by reason of 
death ; they were subject to all the diseases and frailties of 
human nature, and to their removal from time by the hand 
of death. Hence, the line of the high priesthood was kept 
unbroken by a regular succession. The Apostle, in showing 
the trne typical character of this part of the ceremonial law, 
and its direct reference to and representation of the mediatorial 
work of our Lord Jesus Christ, notices at the same time the 
successive departure of these priests from their office and work, 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 153 

in obedience to the laws of mortality, "And they truly," 
says he, u were many priests ; because they were not suffered 
to continue by reason of death. " One after another vacated 
his office and left his work and was immediately followed by 
his successor. l< But this man," that is, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
" because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 
Wherefore he is aBle to save them to the uttermost that come 
unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession 
for them." Heb. vii. 23-25. And with this inspired description 
of our unchangeable High Priest agree the words of our poet : 

" He ever lives above, 
For us to intercede ; 
His all redeeming love, 

His precious blood to plead : 
His blood atoned for all our race, 
And sprinkles now the throne of grace." 

His blood has been the atoning medium through which God 
in every age has bestowed upon the guilty penitent the forgive- 
ness of sins. To his vicarious sacrifice, once offered for all ? 
and to his prevailing intercession at the right hand of God, 
will every ransomed spirit be indebted for its deliverance from 
sin and misery, and for its introduction to the felicities of 
heaven. As the great High Priest of the human family, and 
the appointed Mediator between God and man, upon the com- 
mission of the first act of transgression, he took his station at 
the altar of the temple of sacrifice and incense, where he has 
continued uninterruptedly to perform all the duties connected 
with his character and office. Did the first guilty pair obtain 
pardon ? It was the effect of his mediatorial agency. Did 
the patriarchs and prophets draw near to God and receive the 
communications of his grace? Their way of approach was by 
the mercy-seat, sprinkled with the precious blood of Christ. 
In this respect he is the same, and through every dispensation, 



154 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

whether patriarchial, Jewish, or Christian, he is "the Way$ 
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but 
by him/' John xiv. 6. Was he the medium of access to the 
Father yesterday ? he is the same to-day, and will be forever. 
And when from every age and every country the saints of the 
Most High shall meet around the dazzling throne, with a 
a united voice they will ascribe to him the glory of their 
salvation. The saints of former days and those of latter times 
will there harmoniously unite in singing the song of Moses, 
the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying to Jesus 
Christ, the great High Priest of all : " Thou art worthy to 
take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast 
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every 
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation ; and hast made 
us unto our God kings and priests; and every creature which 
is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such 
as are in the sea, and all that are in them will be heard saying 
with a loud voice, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, 
he unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb 
for ever and ever." Rev. v. 9, 10, 13. 

III. He is the same in his Works of Mercy. Closely con- 
nected with and immediately flowing from his mediatorial 
character, is his power of performing in behalf of man his 
miracles of mercy. This part of his character has not so 
much immediate reference to the general redemption of man- 
kind, which he has procured by his atoning sacrifice, as to the 
manner in which the benefits of this redemption are applied, 
in relieving the various forms of human woe. The introduc- 
tion of sin into our world brought in its immediate train an 
innumerable multitude of evils ; the sum of which was, the 
withdrawing from man the presence and favour of his Creator, 
that in which his chief happiness consisted. The cries of a 



Tire dam lt r ABILITY OF CHRIST. 155 

groaning creation entered into the Redeemer's ears, and the 
sufferings of man, excluded from the favour and intercourse 
of his Maker, excited his compassion, and led him to undertake 
the work he has so successfully accomplished. Passing over the 
various forms of human misery, his first aim in performing his 
works of mercy, was, the removal of the cause from which all 
our evils flowed* He became a man of sorrows^ that he might 
thus relieve the sorrows of man ; he was acquainted with grief, 
that he might deliver man from grief; he was despised and 
rejected of men, that man might be honoured and received by 
God. His yearning compassion for man drew him from his 
high and holy habitation to the very theatre of human suffer- 
ing, not there to stand as an unmoved spectator of surrounding 
misery, but personally to feel its keenest pangs, and to drink 
its most bitter dregs ; or as the affecting and descriptive lan- 
guage of Isaiah declares, i( He became a man of sorrows, and 
acquainted with grief" Isaiah liii. 3. Having passed through 
the scene of his humiliation and suffering, and having subdued 
every foe to human happiness, like a triumphant conqueror he 
ascended from this vale of woe and warfare, and at his entry 
into his heavenly dwelling-place, the celestial hosts celebrated 
his victorious achievements, saying, " Thou hast ascended on 
high, thou hast led captivity captive : thou hast received gifts 
for men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord (rod might 
dwell among them." Psalms lxviii. And by thus fixing again 
the habitation of God amongst those who by their sins had 
forced him to depart, he has accomplished a work of mercy 
for man, the value of which a blissful eternity alone will be 
able to compute. 

But as visible manifestations make a more powerful 
impression upon the mind than abstract contemplations 
possibly can, let us survey for a moment a few of the works 



156 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

of mercy performed by our Lord Jesus Christ, during the 
short period of his ministerial life, whilst dwelling among 
men. How emphatic the declaration of the inspired apostle 
when he says, " Jesus of Nazareth, who went about doing 
good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God 
was with him." Acts x. 38. To do good was the object of 
his coming into the world. In this work every beating 
pulse of his loving heart urged him forward. Upon this 
his every thought was fixed and his every hour employed. 
How astonishing the miracles he performed to relieve the 
sufferings of the afflicted ! By his word the most inveterate 
diseases were cured ; at his command, devils relinquished 
their usurped possessions ; he speaks, and the blind receive 
their sight ; the lame walk, and lepers are cleansed. By 
his merciful and powerful interposition, he dries up the 
tears of a widowed mother, mourning the loss of an only 
son, the hope and comfort of her declining years ; he restores 
to the weeping sisters their beloved but departed brother ; 
he raises to life the only daughter of an anxious and loving 
parent. But his mercy extended not merely to the maimed, 
the diseased and lifeless bodies of men. Their souls lying 
in moral ruins and spiritual death, were the special objects 
of his tender regards, However great the benefits he con- 
ferred upon mankind in healing the maladies of the body, 
these benefits were bat of temporary duration, and hence it 
was to the immortal soul that his highest acts of kindness 
were shown ; in pardoning the guilty, in cleansing the 
polluted soul from its moral defilements, and thus preparing 
it for the joys of the paradise of God. He exercised his 
own prerogative when he said to the believing penitent, 
" Be of good cheer ; thy sins, which are many, are all 
forgiven thee," and the soul, hitherto dead in trespasses and 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 157 

sins, raised to spiritual life by the quickening power of his 

word, commenced the era of a new existence. 

" He speaks, and list'ning to his voice, 
New life the dead receive ; 
The mournful broken hearts rejoice, 
The humble poor believe." 

This is emphatically the work of Christ, and his very 
name declares the nature of the work he was appointed to 
perform. " And thou," said the angel, " shalt call his name 
JESUS : for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt, 
i. 21. And in the performance of this work he is always 
the same. Did he say to the believing penitent yesterday, 
"Be of good cheer ; thy sins are forgiven thee ?" He says 
the same to-day. Did the spiritually dead, in former times, 
hear his voice and live? He still speaks, and the same 
quickening power accompanies his word. What is every 
conversion of sinners from the error of their ways, but 
a living evidence that he continues the same in his works 
of mercy ? The same agency is always necessary to change 
and subdue the rebellious heart of man, and that agency is 
the power of Christ. It is true, we do not now see him 
performing his astonishing miracles in healing the diseases 
of the body, but we do see him performing his more astonish- 
ing miracles of grace upon the souls of men. And wherever 
we see a person turned from sin to holiness, and from the 
power of Satan unto God, there we have an evidence of 
indisputable and convincing authority that Jesus Christ 
continues the same in the performance of the works o*f 
mercy and compassion to the souls of men, in which he has 
been engaged from the foundation of the world. And he 
will, in this respect, as in every other, continue unchange- 
ably the same through every successive revolution of time, 
until he shall have performed his last act of mercy towards 
the human family. , 



158 THE IMMUTABILITY OV CHRIST, 

IV. He is the same in the Fullness of his Grace. 

He is represented in the Scriptures as possessing an over* 
flowing fullness, sufficient to supply the wants of all. " And 
out of his fullness," says John, "have all we received, and 
grace for grace." John i. 16. Again, he says, " The Word 
was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his 
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full 
of grace and truth." John i. 14. (l For the law was given 
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.'' He 
is here presented to our view, as strenthening the weakness 
of the moral, and supplying the defects of the ceremonial 
law. " For what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness 
of sinful flesh, and for sin, (or by a sacrifice for sin,) con- 
demned sin in the flesh : that the righteousness of the law 
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but 
after the spirit." Rom. viii. 3, 4. The law made no provision 
for the pardon of the guilty. With unmitigated sternness 
it spoke to all, ''Do this and live;" while, at the same time, 
it poured its unmingled curses upon the head of every 
offender, declaring that man having once transgressed, could 
never afterwards be justified by the deeds of the law. It 
opened to the sinner no door of hope to escape the unyield- 
ing penalties of the law, except by such a constant and 
perfect obedience to its requirements, as through the weak- 
ness of his moral powers he was utterly unable to perform. 
It is true, the various rites and institutions of the ceremonial 
law, showed forth the possibility of obtaining pardon, by 
the presentation of a suffering sacrifice. These were, how- 
ever, but mere shadows, and were possessed of virtue, or 
efficacy, only as pointing the offerer to the substance. Now. 
Jesus Christ is represented as standing in striking and 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST, 153 

happy contrast to both of these laws. The moral law offered 
no pardon to the sinner ; but, " through this man is preached 
unto us the forgiveness of sins : and by him all that believe 
are justified from all things, from which they could not be 
justified by the law of Moses." Acts xiii. 38, 39. The 
institutions of the ceremonial law showed the possibility of 
a reconciliation to God, and the deliverance of man from the 
bondage of sin and death \ but the truth of this has been 
clearly shown by the triumphant entering in of Christ into 
the holy place, where, by the shedding of his own precious 
blood, he has obtained eternal redemption for us. 

! if there is one part of the character of Christ upon 
which the sacred writers delight to dwell more than another, 
it is this, the exceeding riches of his grace. How glowing 
the language they use, when they attempt to describe the 
delightful plenitude of his grace ; and the very manner in 
which they express their thoughts, shows that they felt the 
powerful influence of the truth they attempted to declare. 
John says, " In the last day, that great day of the feast, 
Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come 
unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scrip- 
tures hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living 
water." John vii. 37, 38. And the apostle Paul breaks out 
in the exclamatjpn, " Blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual 
blessings in heavenly places in Christ." Ephes. i. 3. It is 
sometimes called, " the riches of his glory ; and the exceed- 
ing riches of his grace." i( In him are hid all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge. For it hath pleased the Father, 
that in him should all fullness dwell." Col. i. 19. And the 
very end for which he possessed this fullness of grace, even 
all the fulness of God, is that he may supply the wants of 



160 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

needy man. And, out of his fullness our wants may all be 
supplied. Is man guilty ? He has power on earth to 
forgive sins. Is he unholy ? His blood cleanses from all 
unrighteousness. Are his people tempted and tried ? From 
him they receive grace to help in every time of need. He 
communicates his grace to all, and still his fullness is the 
same. He scatters his blessings liberally, and yet his hands 
are full. Through all the lapse of time the stores of his 
grace retain the same undiminished plenitude, and from 
them may all the wretched sons of want obtain rich and 
never-failing supplies. 

The apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Phillipians, says, 
" But my G-od shall supply all your need, out of his riches 
in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. iv. 19. And unto t:ie 
Ephesians he says, " For this cause I bow my knees unto 
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole 
family in heaven and earth is named ; that he would grant 
unto you according to the riches of his glory, to be strength- 
ened with all might by his Spirit in the inner man ; that 
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye, being 
rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend 
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth* 
and height ; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth 
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of 
God." Ephes. iii. 14-19. The plenitude or his grace is 
frequently represented by living fountains of water, of over- 
flowing abundance, sufficient to quench the raging thirst of 
all : to which " the Spirit and the bride say, Come ; and let 
him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst 
come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of 
life freely." Rev. xxii. 17. 

The streams of his grace reach the whole creation, and 
so plenteous is the store he has provided, there is " enough 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 181 

for all, enough for each, and enough for evermore. " And 
in the ultimate progress of the streams proceeding from the 
fulness of Christ, the living fountain, to use the glowing 
and descriptive language of the prophet Isaiah, " In the 
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty 
land springs of water : in the habitation of dragons, where 
each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes." Isa. xxxv. 
6, 7. It is from the unchangeable and unfailing fullness of 
his grace, that he sustains and comforts his people, and 
causes their songs of rejoicing and praise to abound while 
in the house of their pilgrimage ; and from the same unfail* 
ing source will be derived the endless felicities of the saints 
in the paradise of God. 

V. But finally, He is the same in his Justice. Justice, in 
the sense here intended to be understood, is the universal 
rectitude of his nature, leading him to perform whatever his 
unerring^wisdom has seen proper to determine, and directly 
refers to his faithfulness ; first, in the fulfillment of his 
promises ; and, secondly, in the execution of his threatenings. 

" He is faithful that hath promised, who also will do it." 

Possessed of all the fullness of God, he can perform whatever 

he has promised. " Heaven and earth," says he, " shall 

pass away, but my words shall not pass away until all is 

fulfilled.'" His promise is firmer than the pillars of heaven, 

nor can the most powerfully opposing obstacles prevent their 

sure and certain fulfillment. 

u Engraved as in eternal brass, 
The mighty promise shines ; 
Nor can the powers of darkness rase 
Those everlasting lines." 

How sure is the fulfillment of prophecy ! Ages intervening 
cannot shake the certainty of its accomplishment. How 



THE IMMUTABILITY OP CHRIST. 

exceeding great and precious are his promises to his people ! 
and with what unfailing certainty have all these promises 
been fulfilled. Who will charge him with a breach of 
promise ? The patriarchs and prophets, and his piimitive 
persecuted followers? Surely not. For they, "" through 
faith and patience, inherit the promises." Heb. vi. 13. In 
this respect, especially, unto those who believe he is precious. 
Assured of his unchangeableness, they can unreservedly 
''commit the keeping of their souls unto him, as unto a 
faithful Creator. 1 ' 1 Peter iv. 19. In all their trials and 
conflicts they hear him saying, "My grace is sufficient for 
thee." 2 Cor. xii. 9. " As thy days, so shall thy strength 
be." Deut. xxxiii. 25. I will never leave th'ee, nor forsake 
thee. When tempest tossed, and afflicted, how consoling is 
his language to his people : " Fear not ; for I have redeemed 
thee, I have called thee by thv name : thou art mine. When 
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and 
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou 
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither 
shall the flames kindle upon thee." Isa. xliii. 1, 2. That he is 
of the same mind, and none can turn him, is a thought full 
of comfort ; but that he who is declared to be always the 
same, has hitherto fulfilled his every promise, is a truth, 
upon which his followers build their richest expectations. 
Has he said, that he that confesseth, and forsaketh, shall find 
mercy ? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins. Has he said, that he that believeth 
shall be saved 1 The believer receives the end of his faith, 
even the salvation of his soul. Has he promised to give 
unto those who are faithful unto death, a crown of life ? 
When he shall appear, attended by a glorious retinue of the 
heavenly hosts, then shall his faithful people receive from 
his own hand the unfading diadem. 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 163 

But connected with the justice of his character is his faith- 
fullness in the execution of his threatenings. And what period 
of his government does not afford sufficient proof, that as a 
king, he maintains the undiminished vigour of his authority, 
by inflicting the penalties of his law. From his justice, his 
devoted followers have everything to hope ; but from the same 
source, the persevering transgressor has everything to fear. 
Has he said, that lt He that believeth not, shall be damned ?" 
The judgment of the sinner " lingereth not, and his damnation 
slumbereth not ?" It is true, ''he is long-suffering and slow to 
anger ;" and his unwillingness that any should perish, leads 
him long to delay the execution of his threatenings. And 
while his judgments linger, his enemies sneeringly ask, 
" Where is the promise of his coming ?" But even while they 
are revelling in the midst of the pleasures of a delusive triumph, 
one universal shout is heard, u Behold he cometh with clouds !" 
His delays are not deliverances. The old world flourished 
one hundred and twenty years after heaven had cursed that 
guilty race ; but at his bidding the embrasures of heaven 
were opened, and the fountains burst from their intrenchments 
to drown that impious generation. Sodom was a fertile valley 
long after the cry of its enormities had entered into the ears 
of the Lord of Sabaoth ; but the fiery storm at last descended 
and destroyed them all, And the manner of procedure is 
always the same. He will punish all the workers of iniquity ; 
but he waits until the appointed moment. In his movements 
there is neither passion, frenzy, nor haste. Like the lion in 
the forest, conscious of his strength, he comes upon his enemies 
with steady but dreadful steps. He will do just such things 
as he has done. If, therefore, he has hitherto punished his 
foes, the natural conclusion is, that he must and will reign 
until every enemy is destroyed. Yea, the wicked, as they take 



164 THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 

their departure from the left hand of the Judge, and are driven 
away as shivering ghosts, will commence their eternal testimony 
to his faithfulness in the execution of his threatenings, 

And now let me ask, in conclusion, ''What think ye of 
Christ ?" I know that to you who have built upon him all 
your hopes of present and future happiness, he is the fairest 
among ten thousand and the altogether lovely, and this con- 
sideration of the unchangeableness of his nature will but fix 
upon him more fully your unbounded confidence and love. 
How consoling to you the truth, that he is the same amidst all 
the fluctuations of the world around you ; your Saviour and 
your all changes not. What though you see inscribed upon 
the heavens, 4i These shall pass away :" and upon the earth, 
" This shall be burned up." What though you see written upon 
man, " Thou shalt die :" from reading these mournful inscrip- 
tions of fading and decaying nature, you may return to the 
unchanging centre and foundation of your hopes, exclaiming 
with heightened joy, '< And thou, Lord, in the beginning hast 
h\& the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works 
of thy hands : they shall perish, but thou remainest ; they all 
shall wax old as doth a garment, arid as a vesture shalt thou 
fold them up, and they shall be Ghanged. But thou art the 
same, and thy years shall not fail.'' Heb. i. 10-12. He is 
your only hope, and let him be the object of your supreme 
desire. He will soon change your countenance, and send you 
away rejoicing. Although it doth not now appear what you 
shall be, yet are you assured by his unfailing promise, that 
when he shall appear in all his grandeur and glory, to be 
admired by all his saints, then you shall be like him, and see 
him as he is. To you, also, poor broken-hearted penitent, he 
is the same. Do you wish to know what he was in days past ? 
Why, when he was upon earth, his enemies brought the accu- 



THE IMMUTABILITY OF CHRIST. 165 

sation against him, " This man receiveth sinners still." Though 
eighteen hundred years have rolled away since he appeared in 
the flesh, his tenderness and compassion are the same, and still 
his saving power is here. But it may be, that to some of you, 
he still appears as a root out of dry ground, without any 
attractive beauty or comeliness that you should desire him. 
Let me remind you, that if the sinful blindness of your hearts 
should prevent you from beholding his charms as the anointed 
Saviour, he will appear to you under another and more fear- 
ful aspect. He will be revealed to you in flaming fire, accom- 
panied with the angels of his power, to take vengeance upon 
them that know not God. You may boast of his goodness and 
his mercy, but you do not remember that he has said, " The 
day of vengeance is in my heart."' Isa. lxiii. 4. To you he 
will be faithful, faithful in forcing you away to those regions 
of darkness and despair, from the most distant thought of 
which you have so often recoiled with horror. Affixed to your 
doom will be the unutterable seal of eternity. If you remain 
impenitent, you will see him in that wrath which is terrible, 
and can never be appeased ; that fearful wrath, the wrath of 
the Lamb. Alas ! who shall deliver you when the Lion of the 
tribe of Judah shall arise to tear his enemies in pieces. From 
his wrath there is no escape* 



SERMON IX, 



THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE 
GOSPEL DAY. 



And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability op th? 
times, and strength of salvation s the fear of the lord is hi3 
Treasure. 

Isaiah xxxiii. 6. 



The glorious reign of the Messiah was the grand object 
Which attracted every prophetic eye— to set forth the blessings 
of his universal spiritual dominion was the ultimate object of 
every prophetic revelation. To him give all the prophets 
witness, and they employ the most striking figures* and use 
the most glowing imagery and emphatic language, when they 
speak of the glory of his kingdom, and describe the happy 
condition of the people under his mild, peaceful and prosperous 
reign* 

The text seems to have a primary reference to Hezekiah. 
It describes the happiness and security which the Jews enjoyed 
under his reign, — a reign which, by his wisdom and prudence^ 
was signally blessed of God in promoting their welfare* But 
this prophecy, like most others of its kind, has a still more 
important application. It undoubtedly refers to the kingdom 
of the Messiah, and to the blessings resulting from the exercise 



THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE GOSPEL DAY. 1()7 

of the dominion of Christ over his redeemed people. " Behold 
a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in 
judgment, and a man shall be as an hiding place from the 
wind, and a covert from the tempest ; as rivers of water in a 
dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." 

That part of this extended prediction which is contained in 
the text, in its evident application to the times of the Messiah, 
declares that then there would be a diffusion of wisdom and 
knowledge so wide, so efficacious, and so salutary in its conser- 
vative influence, that by it society should be rendered stable 
and tranquil — that this wisdom and knowledge should produce 
salvation, or deliverance and preservation from temporal and 
spiritual evils and calamities. It declares further, that thia 
salvation should be a strong one, furnishing the most powerful 
safeguards to human society, and the greatest security against 
the dangers to which mankind are liable from the malignant 
passions of fallen nature. 

That this prophecy may also very properly be taken and 
applied as descriptive of the nature and results of the Messiah's 
reign, the history of the Gospel dispensation as furnishing only 
a partial fulfillment of this prediction, clearly attests. For we 
hold that the full import of this prophecy is yet to be accom- 
plished. That wisdom and knowledge which are to produce 
the happy effects here described, have not yet to any great 
extent exerted their legitimate, and we may add, their certainly 
destined influence upon human society, in all its various com- 
binations, and throughout its entire "extent. 

Wherever the pure truths of Christianity have spread, and 
their saving power been displayed, just so far have they been 
successful in producing the blessed results which the eye of 
prophecy saw following in their train. It is doubtlessly with 
reference to the extensive and glorious manner that the dark- 



168 THE DISTIKOUISHINO FEATURES 

aess of otir]world was scattered by the Lord Jesus Christ, that 
he is called the " Light of the world." He came to testify of 
the Father, of whom it is said, lt He is light, and in him is 
no darkness at all." '' And he is the true light, which light- 
eneth every man that cometh into the world." As Christianity 
introduced religious or spiritual light, so did that become the 
radiating centre and source of every kind of excellent and 
useful knowledge. Divine truth must first illumine, invigorate 
and expand the mind, in order to prepare it for that exercise 
of its powers which realizes its highest and happiest results. 
Hence it is that the knowledge which the revealed truth of 
God communicates, imparts an energy and disposition to the 
mind of man, which place him in the most favourable state 
for the pursuit and attainment of all other kinds of knowledge. 
So far is Christianity from being opposed either in its spirit 
or tendency to the cultivation of those arts and sciences 
which mark the progress of society, that nearly if not all the 
discoveries in science, and the improvements in the arts, have 
been made by Christian nations, and by them only. Hence 
the opinion which is now so widely entertained that Christi- 
anity is not only favorable to but even promotes every species 
of useful knowledge, that only so far as the pursuit of know- 
ledge is directed by the precepts of revelation, and employed 
in subordination to the supreme authority of the word of God, 
will its cultivation advance the best interests of society, and 
promote the real welfare of mankind. Where this great truth 
is disregarded or denied, the most disastrous results are sure 
to follow. The mere instruction of the people in worldly 
knowledge, to the neglect or exclusion of religious truth, so 
far from improving their condition, morally or politically, and 
producing that tranquility and national greatness of which 
the prophet speaks in the text, is in effect but rendering them 



OF THE GOSPEL DAY. 169 

wise to do evil, and enlightening and strenthening their intel- 
lectual powers for a more pernicious use of their unhallowed 
and lawless propensities. Take for illustration the character 
and condition of France. With all their boasted refinement 
and proficiency in the sciences, and the arts of civilized life, 
their infidelity and utter disregard of the supreme authority 
of the God of the nations of the earth have entailed on them 
the most fearful consequences, not the least of which is the 
instability of their civil and political institutions, as exhibited 
in the fact, that within little more than a century, nine or ten 
revolutions have marked their history. Without moral and 
religious principle as the basis of stability, what otherwise 
could be expected ? 

While the masses that compose any nation are left in igno- 
rance of Divine truth, they will ever be found to be the prey 
of violent factions, and the lawless indulgence of unhallowed 
passions ; while on the other hand, Divine truth gives perma- 
nence and stability to every institution designed to promote 
the efficiency of human government, and through it the peace, 
happiness and prosperity of the people. Moreover, it is from 
this source alone that we can expect that pure and elevated 
morality which constitutes the true greatness of individuals, 
and improves the condition of nations. This is the doctrine 
taught in the text, the illustration of which will form the 
subject of the present discourse. 

I. We take the term «' wisdom" as here employed to signify 
especially that revelation of Divine truth which is contained 
in the inspired oracles ; for it is there only that true wisdom 
can be found. The scriptural idea of wisdom consists in the 
knowledge of God and his will, the knowledge of our own 
obligations and duties ; that knowledge which applies to man 
as an accountable creature destined to a future judgment, and 



170 THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

which teaches him the way in which a sinner may obtain that 
pardon, and peace, and holiness, which are necessary to 
prepare him to meet the God whom he has offended. The 
acquisition of this knowledge is represented to us in the 
Scriptures as of the highest importance, because it is the only 
kind which is suited to the nature, and supplies the wants of man. 
Wisdom, we are told by the author of the Proverbs, is the 
principal thing ; we are, therefore, urged to get wisdom, and 
with all earnestness and intentness of purpose to search for it 
as for hidden treasure. This wisdom consists in that fear of 
the Lord which includes a knowledge of the Divine character, 
and a cheerful obedience to his just and holy laws. Thus 
Job inquires, " Where shall wisdom be found ? and where is 
the place of understanding? Job xxviii. 12. After repre- 
senting all nature as speaking and giving its united testimony, 
saying, " It is not with me," he says, " Behold the fear of the 
Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding;" 
ver. 28. In this inspired definition of wisdom* we are taught 
to regard this wisdom as the only source of all true moral 
influence ; no other knowledge possesses this peculiarity. 
This will appear quite obvious when we consider that the 
science of religion is the only one which teaches the knowledge 
of the true God, of his statutes and commandments, the only 
legitimate authority which imposes moral obligations and 
duties, and is capable of producing moral improvement. This 
will appear if we consider the nature of the truths which this 
wisdom imparts or reveals. It sets God before us in all his 
majesty as the great and terrible God, and in all his attributes 
of holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. It presents him as 
the omnipotent Creator of all things, and as having an abso- 
lute right to govern all his creatures. This wisdom reveals 
him as present in every place, and with an omniscient eye, 



OF TttE GOSPEL DAY. 1T1 

beholding both the evil and the good, taking knowledge of 
every thought as well as action as absolutely holy, and 
displaying his holiness in his law which forbids everything that 
is impure and wrong, and Which enjoins the practice of all that 
is holy and right* It sets before us the justice of God as 
illustrated in the government of the world, visiting the iniqui* 
ties of the wicked upon them, and showing favour to them 
who love him and keep his commandments. This wisdom 
teaches us also the plan by which Jehovah can save a guilty 
World* and through which he sets before mankind an open 
door of salvation. From this source also we learn the true 
character and condition of man as an accountable creature in 
a state of trial, which is to result in an eternity of bliss or 
woe, soon to appear in judgment to receive a reward acording 
to the deeds of the present life. The knowledge which this 
wisdom imparts has a direct application to man as a moral 
being. It speaks to his conscience, addresses his hopes and 
fears, and enforces its requirements by the solemn sanctions 
of an eternity of rewards and punishments. No other kind 
of knowledge possesses this characteristic, or is capable of 
exerting a moral influence* The wisdom of God as displayed 
in the scheme of his moral government is that alone which is 
applicable to the moral faculties of man, and is sufficient to 
promote his highest welfare by fitting him for all the duties 
of the present life and for the enjoyments of his future state 
of existence. 

2 But farther : the law of God as the only authoritative 
standard of right and wrong, furnishes us with a rule by which 
to judge of the moral quality of every act, and of every course of 
conduct ; a rule, too> which is of universal extent, and simple 
and easy of application. In the word of God we have express 
directions for the regulation of our entire life, in thought, 



Yl% THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

Word, and deed. These directions are so furnished as to be 
applicable to all the various circumstances in which man can 
be placed. The wisdom derived from revelation, then* is an 
authoritative system of morals addressed to the conscience of 
man, and designed for, and capable of training him for, the 
highest and holiest employment. Nor must we forget that 
this wisdom is accompanied by a divine power* or a living 
energy^ which renders it all-sufficient for the accomplishment 
of its high and holy purposes. lt The words that I speak 
unto you," says the Saviour, lt they are spirit and they are 
life." John vi. 63. Without this living agency all means 
whatever which might be employed for improving the moral 
condition of mankind would be in vain. Even the law itself 
is weak through the flesh. It gives direction, but it cannot 
impart life. It may reprove, but it cannot reform. It con- 
demns, but it does not renew. It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; 
it is the Spirit that sanctifieth. This blessed mighty Spirit 
operates on the heart, and produces its effects in connection 
with revealed truth. The Gospel comes to us not in word 
only> but in the demonstration of the Spirit ; with the holy 
Ghost sent down from heaven. 

But our text speaks of knowledge as connected with wisdom 
in producing the happy results here described. This we 
suppose to mean all kinds of useful knowledge, such as is in 
accordance with the principles and design of revealed truth, 
and which may be regarded as immediately connected with 
the wisdom of the inspired word. For godliness is profitable 
unto all things, having the promise of the life that now is. 
Christianity sanctions and encourages every art, and imparts 
spirit and energy to every enterprise which tends to lessen the 
miseries, and multiply the comforts of the present life. Hence 
the vast superiority in the civil and social condition of Chris- 



OP THE GOSPEL DAY. 173 

tian nations over heathen, or even civilized nations. Hence 
also the fact, that when any tribe or nation receives Chris- 
tianity, however barbarous before, the germs of civilization 
and refinement begin to exert their hitherto latent power. 
Till then man is ignorant of his true character. Made in the 
image and likeness of God, he now sees, that not only is he 
capable of spiritual enjoyments, but also of imitating the 
benevolence of Jehovah as displayed in the visible creation, 
by employing his intellectual and physical powers for the 
improvement of his race. This knowledge we may suppose to 
include intellectual cultivation, scientific pursuits, and ail the 
arts connected with domestic and social happiness, national 
improvement, and temporal prosperity. These are the general 
results of the spread of the pure truths of the Gospel. And 
Christianity, in addition to the spiritual blessings which it 
confers by the enoouragement it affords, and the direct influ- 
ence it exerts, in the cultivation of every useful art, is thus 
multiplying and strengthening all the bonds that connect 
every social and political association, giving them permanence 
and stability, and enabling them to produce their happiest 
effects. 

II. We now proceed to consider the effects of this wisdom 
and knowledge as the only source of tranquility and safety, 
This may refer either to individuals, communities, or nations, 
and is equally true in whatever respect it is applied. 

1. The word of God is the great instrument by which the 
instruction of the ignorant, and the conversion of the wicked 
are to be effected, and in proportion to the extent this instru- 
mentality is employed, these effects will be produced. " Sanctify 
them through thy truth: thy word is truth," (John,) is the 
prayer of Christ ; thus teaching us that the truths of revelation 
are the only instrumentality possessing a moral or spiritual and 



174 THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

sanctifying influence, and from which such results as are 
attributed to it can be expected. The early religious instruc- 
tion of the people therefore becomes an object of the very 
highest importance. But not only is a knowledge of divine 
truth necessary for the conversion, it is equally the only 
effectual means to secure the stability, and promote the useful- 
ness of those who have been brought to a saving knowledge of 
the truth. The Apostle Peter cautions such to beware lest 
they also being, led away with the error of the wicked, fall 
from their own steadfastness. As a certain safeguard against 
instability and error, he exhorts them '' To grow in grace, and 
in the knowledge of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 

Where the foundation is not laid in a knowledge of the 
doctrines and precepts of the word of God, there is but little 
ground to hope for either stability or usefulness in the cause 
of religion. This may be assigned as the reason why so many 
persons professing godliness become the sport of every wind 
that blows, and are led away from the simplicity of the Gospel 
by the cunning craftiness of those who lie in wait to deceive. 
How many who have once bid fair for usefulness in the Church 
of God, have disappointed every hope, by neglecting to seek that 
religious and intellectual cultivation and improvement which. 
is absolutely essential to spiritual prosperity ? Nor need this 
be a subject of wonder. It is in accordance with the doctrine 
of the text. Wisdom and knowledge are to be the source of 
the stability of individuals, as well as of the times. Where 
these are not possessed, or earnestly and perseveringly sought, 
the result which they produce cannot rationally be expected. 
Christianity, as a system of light and knowledge, must be 
maintained upon its own principles, or be planted in its native 
soil, if we would realize its most abundant and richest fruits. 

2. The same remarks apply with equal propriety to com- 



OF THE GOSPEL DAY. 175 

munities and nations. Religious truth is the only effective 
instrumentality for producing and maintaining national tran- 
quility, and securing the performance of those institutions 
which are designed and calculated, under the control of the 
moral influence of Christianity, to promote the object for which 
they have been ordained. Merely secular education cannot 
accomplish this. Civil government is inefficient without the 
moral power of the Gospel. The evils of anarchy are kept 
at bay only by the might of the tyrant, or the ignorance and 
impotence of the slave, where the strength of a nation's salva- 
tion is not deeply laid, in the wide diffusion, and controlling 
and subduing influence of moral and religious principles. 

Christianity secures the obedience of the subject to the law- 
ful authority, not from fear of punishment, but for conscience' 
sake, and from a supreme regard to the higher authority, and 
the holy purposes for which that authority has been delegated. 

The bulwark of a national security against the evils of inter- 
nal strife and foreign aggression lies not in the might of its 
armies, but in the all-pervading power of that Gospel which 
proclaims peace on earth and good-will amongst men, and which 
teaches every man to see in his fellow man a friend and a 
brother. 

From these, considerations we may deduce a few practical 
inferences and reflections. 

The first is, we have placed within our reach the means for 
the accomplishment of the greatest possible good, and that, too, 
to the widest extent and permanent duration. 

In the excitement of the discussion of the comparative merits 
of the different systems, political or otherwise of the present 
day, we hear much of the power of the press, and of the superior 
excellence of this or that political theory, upon which the hope 
of the country depends. We admit the power of the press; 



176 THE DISTINGUISHING FEATURES 

but, at the same time, we cannot forget it is a power for good 
or evil ; for a blessing or a curse, just in proportion as it accords 
with the genius, and is controlled by the spirit and precepts of 
our holy Christianity. Nor is it ever so powerful, or so properly 
employed for the accomplishment of its highest ends, as when 
in the spirit of a Paul it reasons upon tl righteousness, tem- 
perance, and a judgment to eome,' > and proclaims the wrath of 
God against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men, 
teaching them, that " denying" themselves of all "ungodliness 
and worldly lusts," they are to "live soberly, righteously, and 
godly, in this present world." 

So far from giving any shadow of countenance to the idea 
that the hope of our country and the world depends upon the 
ascendancy of this or that political theory, we hesitate not to 
avow our skepticism in the efficiency of any and every mere 
political system, which does not lay a firm hold of the great 
principles of Christianity as the sheet-anchor of its hopes of 
success. Wisdom and knowledge ; the wisdom of God in the 
mystery of the Gospel, and the knowledge of its saving power, 
are to be the stability of our times, and the strength of our 
salvation. And those who, in humble dependence upon 
Almighty God, are labouring, whether in the domestic circle, 
in the Sabbath school, by the dissemination of the word of God, 
the circulation of tracts, or in the pulpit, to extend the king- 
dom of Christ, are doing more for the welfare of mankind than 
all the boasted power of the press, or the imposing array of 
political combinations and conventions. Nor can we but think 
that Christians very much mistake their calling when they 
expose themselves to the ruinous influence of a party spirit 
in securing the elevation of ungodly men to office and authority, 
no matter what may be the excellence of the political theory 
he may profess to entertain. Without the influence of a moral 



OP THE GOSPEL DAY. 177 

and religious character he will be a curse, in some way or other ? 
rather than a blessing. The voice of inspiration has declared 
it, and the universal experience of mankind illustrates the 
fearful truth of the declaration, that, " When the righteous 
are in authority, the people rejoice : but when the wicked bear- 
eth rule, the people mourn." Prov. xxix. 2. 

J-2 



SERMON X. 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 



Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a 
Field ; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for 
joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth 
that field* 

Matthew xiii. 44. 



How simple and yet how profound the truths which the 
Great Teacher taught the people hy parables! Instead of 
drawing his illustrations from remote objects, or the principles 
of some abstruse science, the common and well known inci- 
dents of every day life were employed. While this mode of 
instruction was admirably adapted to place the Divine truths 
of the Gospel within reach of the lowest in the scale of intel- 
ligence, the very simplicity and commonness of the illustrations 
employed confounded and perplexed those who were wise in 
their own conceit, and while hearing they understood not, and 
seeing they perceived not the deeply interesting and important 
spiritual truths which these parables were designed to reveal. 
The parable of the text is a beautiful and impressive illustra- 
tion of the wisdom of this Divine method of teaching mankind 
in what, and kow, their true good may be secured. 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 179 

The peculiar force and fitness of the incident here employed 
will be better understood by a knowledge of the times and 
place to which it refers. 

We are, perhaps, sometimes surprised when we read of the 
abundance of gold and silver which was possessed in ancient 
times, and we wonder what has become of those vast treasures. 
The disappearance of much of these precious treasures of 
ancient times is accounted for by the accident to which the 
man in this parable owed his good fortune. In those days 
and countries there were but few branches of trade in which 
men could engage. There were no banks in which they could 
deposit their gold, and as capitalists had not then learned the 
art of investing their money in mortgages at from fifteen to 
forty per cent interest, with the fair prospect of a fortunate 
foreclosure, just before the last instalment was paid, conceal- 
ment of their treasure offered the best if not the only security. 
Hence it was a common practice, while reserving a portion of 
their money for present use, to bury large quantities of gold 
and silver, or other precious treasures, and it often happened 
that by sudden death the secret of their treasure was buried 
with them. Besides this, in ancient times wars were frequent, 
and when a country was suddenly invaded, the only hope of 
the inhabitants to preserve their treasures was to hide them in 
the earth. Falling in battle, or being driven from their homes, 
they never returned to recover their wealth, and thus the earth 
became a bank, in which, during a course of ages, was accu- 
mulated a vast amount of hidden and unclaimed deposits. 
Illustrations of this ancient custom are sometimes found in 
modern times and countries, when the spade or the plough 
breaks some waste moorland, or the hand that tears down some 
old castle, are now and then bringing to light old coins, or 
ornaments of gold and silver. Since the lands of the Bible 



180 THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

jvere rich in their precious treasures, such an occurrence as 
that related in this parable was not merely possible, but likely 
to be a very common event. Hence the Saviour relates it with 
the natural simplicity and grace with which a tale of real life 
is always invested. A peasant is engaged in preparing the 
field for the seed. It is one which perhaps has lain for centu- 
ries untilled, or it may have been exhausted by long continued 
use, and in order to enrich the soil he sends the plough-share 
deep into the earth. With no anxious thought he thus pursues 
his work, when suddenly the ring of metal salutes his ears. 
He turns and beholds the earth turned yellow with gold, or 
sparkling with precious jewels. "With a prudent forethought 
he restores the ground to its former appearance, and concealing 
the joy of his discovery under an air of indifference, he seeks 
the owner of the field and negociates a purchase. The price 
requires all his worldly goods ; he sells his house, his furniture, 
and even the beds from his sleeping children, and leaves his 
family without a home or shelter. His friends are amazed and 
pity him as one suddenly bereft of reason. But he knows 
what he is about. Regardless both of the advice and direction 
of his friends, and perhaps the entreaties of his family, from 
whom he has as yet kept the secret of his discovery, he secures 
the field at a price which they regard as his ruin. But soon 
their surprise at his folly is changed into envy at his success. 
Possessed of an ample fortune, he exchanges the obscure, 
humble toiliDg life, for the respect and ease, the comforts and 
luxuries which all desire, but which only the few obtain. 
Such is the nature of the incident which forms the subject of 
this parable. 

The kingdom of heaven, the righteousness, peace, and joy 
which are the believer's inheritance, are here represented by a 
treasure, A treasure ! what magic is in that word, especially 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 181 

when it represents money, which is commonly supposed to 
possess the power of securing every earthly good. In a world 
that looks down upon poverty with contempt, and regards 
honest humble toil as fit only for the lowest rank, and where 
that respect is paid to wealth which is due only to moral 
worth ; as moderate fortune will secure its- possessor from 
neglect, and if accounted rich, in the common sense of that 
term, he is welcomed to the society of the great and the noble. 
But what are the privileges and honours which worldly wealth 
confers, when compared with those which the treasures of the 
G-ospel secure to those who are rich in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom ? Lifting the poor from the dust, and the, needy from 
the dunghill, it sets them amongst the princes of God's people. 
"A christian is the highest style of man." He is introduced 
to the u society of angels, to the general assembly and church 
of the first born," whose names are registered in heaven's own 
record of nobility, and compared with whom, in true worth or 
real dignity, and lofty and enduring fame, earth's^highest titles 
are but empty names, and kings and princes are but worms of 
the dust. 

Give to worldly treasures their highest value, and they can 
give to us at best but a temporary and unsatisfying enjoyment. 
They may provide for us a splendid mansion, the richest luxu- 
ries, and the most costly decorations; but alas! they cannot 
shield us from the foreboding that all this must soon be 
exchanged for the shroud, the cofhn and the narrow house, and 
that the pampered body will only have been richer food for 
the devouring worms. But possessed of the treasures of the 
kingdom of heaven, I feast upon " marrow and fat things, and 
wine on the lees well refined ;" I will dwell under the shadow 
of the Almighty ; angels are my ministering spirits ; my gar- 
ments are the robes of righteousness, and my body, transformed 



182 THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

to the likeness of its glorified and immortal pattern, will find 
its final home in the palace of the Eternal King. 

The bankrupt who succeeds to a fortune is placed in circum- 
stances to repair the evils which his worldly reverses may have 
inflicted upon himself or others. Is there a stain upon his 
honour ? he wipes it out, or if he has maintained his integrity 
even in the depths of adversity, still he can now relieve him- 
self of a burden that presses heavily upon the conscience of 
an honest man. When the last farthing of his debts is paid, 
he can look every man in the face, and is accounted a happy 
and honourable man. But what are benefits like these, when 
compared to those which the treasures of the kingdom confer ? 
which pay debts which figures cannot express, and satisfy 
demands which no earthly price can meet. With the infinite 
merits of the one great and perfect sacrifice, I satisfy Divine 
Justice, and obtain a full acquittal in the High Court of 
Heaven. Lifting up my head before men and angels, in presence 
of the Eternal throne, being freed from the law of sin and 
death, and delivered from the power of the devil, I triumphantly 
exclaim, (t Who is he that condemneth ? It is God that 
justifieth !" 

We speak sometimes of the treasures we possess in our 
friends, our worldly associations, our health, or our good name ; 
but how soon may all these disappear, like the riches that fly 
away ! Richer far is he who is assured of a place in the heart 
of that Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, whose friend- 
ship no adversity can shake, and who walks with us even 
through the valley of the shadow of death. How much more 
endearing and enduring is the fellowship of the saints, the ties 
of grace which even death cannot dissolve, the union of kin- 
dred spirits whose bond is a life that never dies, a peace that 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE POUND. t88 

troubles may disturb, but cannot destroy, and which remains 
unmoved like the rock in the midst of the angry surges of the 
ocean. 

The unspeakable value of the treasure represented by the 
pardon, peace and joy of the Gospel, led believers of ancient 
days to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and lose life 
itself rather than part with the heavenly inheritance. The 
same estimate is still put upon this treasure by all whose spir- 
itual perceptions enable themto compute its real value. Let 
this be tested by a simple illustration. In the city of London 
is a building which in one sense represents the wealth of 
nations, and whose directors hold the fate of crowns and 
kingdoms at their disposal. Entering this building by its 
guarded doors, you descend by strongly protected passages to a 
room divided into various compartments, and whose walls are 
formed of massive iron. You are now in the strong room of 
the Bank of England, where gold and silver are piled " heaps 
upon heaps." Take from his loom the poor pale-faced but 
pious weaver, whose shuttle flies from early morn till far into 
the night ; or bring up from the dark and unhealthy mine 
the poor but pious pitman, whose dusty labours are attended 
with fearful perils, amidst an explosive and poisonous atmos- 
phere. Placing either of these in the presence of this glittering 
treasure, offer him the whole upon condition that he part with 
the treasures of the kingdom, the blessedness of which he 
realizes in his heart. He will spurn the enchanting bribe, 
and blessing God as he returns to his toil and humble house, 
he will say, ll Get thee behind me, Satan." . With the blood- 
bought treasure I possess, I have what cannot be gotten for 
gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof ; the 
gold and the crystal cannot equal it, and the exchange of it 
shall not be for jewels of pure gold. No mention shall be 



184 THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

made of coral or of pearls, for the price of it is above rubies, 
and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared 
to it. Nor would such a test be a mere imaginary illustration. 
It has been proved in ten thousand instances in the experience 
of faithful believers who have maintained their integrity, and 
held their heavenly treasure with a grasp that neither prosperity 
nor adversity, the smiles nor the frowns of the world, nor 
even death itself, in its most appalling forms, could weaken or 
unloose. 

Though some who profess to have found this treasure, and 
value it above every other possession, may have bartered it for 
earth's perishing portion, or show by the tenacity with which 
they hold or hoard up their worldly treasures, how low is the 
value they set upon the things of God and salvation ; yet is 
this treasure none the less real, valuable, and desirable than is 
intended to be represented by the price at which it was secured 
by the man in this parable. 

The blessings of the Gospel are here represented by a hidden 
treasure. How fitly does this parable portray the scenes of 
real life in which though the richest treasure, nay, all of real 
good, lies just beneath our feet and within our reach, yet 
ignorant of its presence we are restless with unsatisfied desires, 
we imagine that only sorrows spring out of the ground, and 
we die at last in all the wretchedness of absolute want ! 

Long before the priceless riches of the distant colony of 
Australia were discovered, emigrants had left the shores of 
England to try their fortunes in that land. Many of these 
early adventurers earned only a bare subsistence. Far removed 
from the society of their friends, with no hope of improving 
their condition, they pined and drooped like flowers trans- 
planted in an uncongenial soil. Yet all this time mines of 
wealth lay hid beneath their feet. The roots of the tree 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE POUND. 185 

under which the shepherd reclined, while tending his flocks 
and meditating upon the scenes and friends- of former days, 
covered rocks of gold, and the very bed of the stream from 
which he quenched his thirst, was formed of those precious 
sands from which thousands afterwards drew splendid fortunes. 
Yet the first exiles to that country lived poor in the midst of 
riches, walking daily above treasures that might have made 
them independent of labour, and sunk at last, exhausted by 
care and toil, into an early and lonely grave. Such was the 
sad fate of many a one, with gold enough, perhaps, in the 
stones that formed his rude hearth, or in the rock against 
which his log hut stood, to provide him with all the comforts 
a splendid fortune affords. The case of the poor adventurer 
in that or other lands, with his tent pitched upon a gold-field, 
but ignorant of the treasure within his reach, is a fitting illus- 
tration of the condition of thousands of our race, and in the 
midst of the light and privileges of Christianity. With the 
treasures of the kingdom of Heaven within their reach, they 
have them not. They are wretched, and poor, and miserable, 
and in want of all things. The riches of grace are hid from 
them. The god of this world has so blinded them, that they 
see not the glorious things of the kingdom, which are discerned 
only by a spiritual perception. Were God to make this hidden 
treasure as plain to those men as the plough-share did to the 
peasant's wondering eyes, they would leave the house of God 
richer and happier than he. Yes, within the lids of the poor 
man's Bible is a greater treasure of true peace, happiness and 
honour, than all the wealth of Australia's gold mines can confer. 
What can that do for man in comparison with the rewards 
which the treasures of grace bestow 1 All the gold of Australia 
could not purchase the pardon of one of the thousands of 
criminals, which a country weary of their crimes had banished 



186 THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

to those distant and desolate shores. But in possession of the 
hidden treasure of the kingdom, I have a price which satisfies 
justice more inexorable and exacting than human laws ; I have 
an atonement for guilt, the penalty of which appals the most 
hardened conscience, and causes the stoutest heart to quail. 
With this treasure I enjoy the blessed sense of a pardon which 
no earthly price could purchase, and look forward with the 
joyous assurance that it will present me faultless before the 
Eternal throne with exceeding joy. 

Again : the unspeakable value of the treasures of Divine 
grace, as realized in the character and dignity with which the 
possessor is invested ; and how incomparably superior in this 
view do they appear to any or every earthly inheritance ! The 
wealth of the most successful adventurer cannot conceal the 
meanness of his birth, give polish to his manners, and raise 
him from his lowly rank, and enroll his name with those of an 
ancient and jealous nobility. It alters the condition, but not 
necessarily the character of the man. And how often is the 
possession of wealth associated with ignorance, the most vulgar 
manners, and sordid passions, illustrating the figure of the 
wise man in Proverbs xi. 23, of a "jewel of gold in a swine's 
snout." But the light and sanctifying power of the Gospel 
received into the heart by faith, alter both the character and 
condition of the man, making the rude gentle, the vulgar 
refined, the impure holy, the selfish generous and benevolent, 
elevating them to the rank of a true nobility, and working a 
more marvellous transformation than if the exiled felon were 
to become a prince, or the poor despised pilfering boy of the 
street were to have the star of honour placed upon his manly 
breast, and stand in the brilliant circle that surrounds a throne. 
In the precious blood-bought treasure of Divine grace, sin's 
darkest stains may be effaced, the foulest heart purified — there 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 187 

is a peace to calm life's fiercest storms, a light to illumine and 
cheer the darkest days of earth, and even the valley of the 
shadow of death. It imparts a courage which all the assaults 
of the powers of darkness cannot shake, and a hope which, 
blooms with immortality amidst the taking down of the earthly 
tabernacle, the world on fire, and the solemn scenes of the 
rising dead and a sitting judgment. 

The discovery of this hidden treasure appears to have been 
purely accidental. The man was apparently pursuing his 
daily labour, without any thought or anxiety in regard to the 
good fortune that lay in his path. In the case of the man who 
was seeking goodly pearls, there had been a diligent and perse- • 
vering search for the desired object; but here the order seems 
to have been entirely reversed, and without any of the prudent 
foresight and pains-taking effort by which riches are generally 
accumulated, he comes at once an^ unexpectedly into the 
possession of a fortune. 

The parable may, doubtlessly, be employed to illustrate the 
Sovereignty of Jehovah, in the means he employs to discover 
to mankind the hidden riches of Divine grace. In one case, 
there may be the gradual light and the long and restless dis- 
quietude of a burdened and seeking soul, while in another, 
conviction for sin and the joyous assurance of pardon may be 
the work of a day or an hour, and under circumstances which 
the sinner may have least anticipated. How often is it that 
the careless repair to the house of God with no thought of God 
or desire to obtain spiritual good, and yet the curiosity or 
habit which led them there has resulted in their salvation. 
There are instances in which even the wrath of man and the 
wickedness of the ungodly have been made the occasion of 
their conversion. But our concern now is not so much with 
the exact manner in which God chooses to make known to man 
the things that belong to his peace, as to consider the conduct 



188 THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 

of the man in this parable, when the hidden treasure was 
discovered to his wondering eyes. His plan was at once formed, 
and the decision so prompt, was followed by effort equally 
earnest and determined, until the possession of his treasure was 
secured. He lost no time, and counted no sacrifice too great 
to make the discovered treasure his own. And yet how different 
is the conduct of mankind in regard to the incomparably more 
valuable treasures of salvation. With the Word of Truth, the 
light of the Divine Spirit, and the means of grace, to make 
known to them the riches of Divine grace, and their own 
admission and professed belief that the salvation of the soul 
is the most important object that can engage an immortal 
mind, they either delay till an uncertain future, or refuse to 
pay the price required to secure the precious treasure. Some 
real or imaginary sacrifice is too great, some associations which 
cannot be broken up, or some companions cannot be forsaken • 
or the pleasureable sin of the bail-room stands in the way of 
securing the discovered good. But by the example of the man 
in this parable, the Saviour teaches that he who will not secure 
the treasures of grace at any price, shall not enter into the 
kingdom. No pains must be spared, no means neglected, no 
Sabbath and sanctuary privileges unimproved, nor any duty 
left unperformed, if we would make sure our interest in Christ 
and gain a meetness for the heavenly inheritance. 

The example of the man in keeping the secret of his dis- 
covery to himself, is not set forth for imitation by him who 
finds the heavenly treasure. In no other sense does the Chris- 
tian hide his treasure than by keeping himself unspotted from 
the world, in guarding his peace of mind from being disturbed 
by temptation, and his purity from being stained by sin. In 
all other respects, those who find the treasures of the Gospel 
seek to make them known to all. There is not only no motive 



THE HIDDEN TREASURE FOUND. 189 

for secrecy, but an involuntary impulse to be the herald of the 
discovery to the poor and perishing around them. In the 
freeness and plenitude of the grace by which they have been 
enriched and made heirs of the kingdom, they are assured that 
there is enough for all and evermore, and their language is— 

" that the world might taste and see 
The riches of his grace ! 
The arms of love that compass me, 
Would all mankind embrace." 

(i Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and 
he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy 
wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore 
do you spend money for that that which is not bread ? and 
your labour for that which satisfieth not ? hearken diligently 
unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul 
delight itself in fatness." Isaiah lv. 1, % 

None ever found this treasure who did not wish others 
might obtain the same, and who do not in their sphere endeav- 
our to make known their discovery, and invite others to seek 
its possessioD, and who do not realize that in the multiplying 
numbers of those who find it, their own joys are increased. 
Unlike the worldly riches, this heavenly treasure excites 
neither contempt for the poor, nor envy at the success of those 
who are rising to take rank with the rich and the great. Such 
are often the effects which follow the possession of the treasures 
of gold and silver. But he possesses most of the treasures of 
the Gospel, realizes the highest and holiest joy at the tidings of 
others finding the pardon and peace of salvation. 

Now, it is said that this man parted with all that he had, in 
order to secure the field which contained his discovered treasure, 
and yet it is not intimated that the price he paid bore any 
comparison to the value of what he obtained in the exchange. 
And certainly this parable gives no countenance to the notion 



190 tHE aiDDEN TREASURE POUND* 

that when the drunkard parts with his cups, the miser with his 
sordid love of gold, the licentious man with his lust, the gay 
with their vanities, and the wretched with their misery, that 
thereby they either purchase salvation, or make a sacrifice in 
order to secure the heavenly treasure. They only part with 
that which* to say the least, is no profit, and receive for the 
exchange an unspeakable and eternal gain. 



SERMON XI. 



LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 



Neither can they die any more. 

Luke xx. 36. 



Jesus Christ has abolished death, and brought life and immor- 
tality to light by the Gospel. It required no revelation from 
heaven to assure us that death is the common lot of all the 
human family. The history of our world proves this fact. 
" Our fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they live 
forever?" Zech. i. 5. But though, the voice of nature and 
experience teach us the mortality of man, yet, in the whole 
volume of Nature, there is nothing to assure us that the intel- 
ligent mind will survive the ruins of the material fabric which 
it now inhabits ; or in other words, that the soul is immortal. 
There are, it is true, facts connected with the operations of 
the material universe, and especially are these facts strongly 
developed by the progressive history of man's earthly existence, 
which may be employed as illustrations of the immortality of 
the soul, when that doctrine has been once revealed ; but the 
only absolute proof is found in the inspired writings, and no 
where else. But if nature furnishes us with no evidence that 



1^2 LIFE AND LMM0RTA1LITY. 

the soul will retain its consciousness in a future state of exist- 
ence, nmch less can we infer from the works of creation what 
our probable condition will be in another world, even admitting 
the doctrine of our spiritual immortality to be proved from 
some other source. Some of the heathen sages had some faint 
conceptions of a future state of existence ; but even Socrates, 
who was, perhaps, the wisest among them, declared, just before 
his death, that everything respecting a future state Was to him 
a matter of doubt and uncertainty. 

But where reason, or the light of nature fails, the sun of 
revelation sheds its heavenly beams upon our path, and aided 
by its light, we may penetrate the veil which hides from our 
natural vision the scenes of the invisible world, and behold to 
some extent the nature of our future home. The text declares 
one peculiarity respecting it ; viz., the absence of death, and 
consequently of those changes which death produces. The 
society there will never be invaded or broken up by death. 

If we understand these words to have been spoken in refer- 
ence to heaven, as they undoubtedly were, they present us with 
one of the most delightful circumstances connected with the 
happy abode of the saints; and had nothing been said of it 
more than this, it would be sufficient to render a residence there 
exceedingly desirable. Could there be found upon our earth a 
region where death could not come, how soon would that region 
be sought for our future perpetual abode. We regard death 
as our most formidable antagonist, from whose grasp we are 
most anxious to escape ; and well we may, when we consider 
what it implies, or the changes it effects in our condition. 

1. It terminates our worldly pursuits and employments. 
The brief and uncertain period of our earthly existence is all 
that we have for worldly cares and pursuits. In whatever 



LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 1M 

employment we may engage, however important the relations 
we may sustain, yet we are assured we can continue here but 
for a little. In the midst of our most extensive plans, and 
while engaged in the most laudable and useful enterprises* we 
are liable to be suddenly arrested and removed from the scene 
of our employments, from all connection with the transactions 
which may have absorbed all our thoughts and engaged our 
most vigorous and unwearied energies. We need not, there- 
fore, form very extensive plans, or engage in any enterprises 
which require a long time to complete, for we may not live 
to accomplish them. We may be cut down in the midst 
of our plans, on the very threshold of business. We commence 
the pursuit of knowledge, but ere we have read even the first 
page of the book of nature, or of revelation, the darkness of 
death may obscure our vision and terminate our progress. 

But in heaven it will not be so, nor will our employments 
ever be interrupted by death. How delightful, indeed, is this 
consideration to those who are now engaged in the service of 
their Divine Redeemer. Here they are often called away from 
their delightful employments to attend to their worldly cares, 
and their minds distracted by the things of this life. But in 
heaven their holy employments will be perpetual. Their spirits 
will never tire ; disease will never enfeeble their powers, nor 
disable them for their duties. They may form plans for 
employing their ransomed powers as boundless as eternity, for 
all eternity is before them ; no changes in their place of abode, 
or the circumstances of their existence will ever arrest their 
progress or put an end to their pursuits. Their acts of devo- 
tion will be unceasing. Their songs of praise will be one 
perpetual strain, 

II. Death will deprive us of our earthly possessions. 

However extensive and valuable our earthly possessions may 

K 



194 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 

be, we must leave" them at the grave. We brought nothing 
into this world, and we can carry nothing out. However firm 
the hold we now have of our worldly treasures, death will 
palsy the hand and force us to relinquish our grasp. The 
miser may worship his gold and silver, and the worldling may 
boast, like the fool in the Gospel, that he has much goods laid 
up for many years ; but, as secure as they may suppose them- 
selves to be in the possession of their worldly treasures, one 
certain event will deprive them of all forever. Not only will 
death separate us from our possessions, but the certainty of 
this greatly lessens their value even while we retain them. 

The man of business amasses wealth, but how gloomy the 
apprehension that he must leave it all, to whom he cannot 
tell ! We build houses and adorn them, but as we gaze upon 
them the sad reflection comes rushing over us, that we must 
shortly inhabit them no more : nor can all the riches of earth 
purchase one moments delay ! The rich man in his splendid 
mansion, as well as the beggar in his rags, must obey the final 
summons. For, " Pallida Mors aequo pulsat pede pawpermtt 
tabernas, Regmnque turres? Hor. Car. iv., Lib. 1. 

Death, moreover, will separate the soul and the body, and 
deprive us of that which we prize so highly, and which, per- 
haps, has absorbed all our thoughts. He will seize our bodies 
and keep them for a time as his possession. But how different 
will it be in heaven. Our possessions there will be secured to 
us forever. Neither doth moth nor rust corrupt, nor theives 
break through and steal. Death can never invade the regions 
of the blessed, nor enter those heavenly mansions which the 
Saviour is preparing for his people. When once they enter 
and take possession, it is to go no more out forever. Their 
inheritance is one that is incorruptible ; the place of their 
abode, are everlasting habitations ; their treasures are as dura- 



LIFE AND IMMORTALITY; 195 

bie as the days of heaven j their crowns are crowns of life. 
Neither death, adversity, nor violence can ever affect them, 
or render their possessions insecure. Here, we are always 
liable to disastrous occurrences, to worldly losses, disease and 
death* In the heavenly world there will be the absence of 
all these evils. 

" No chilling winds, or poisonous breath 3 

Shall reach that healthful shore ; 
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death, 

Are felt and feared no more." 

Our bodies, too, will be immortal ; no more to become the 
prey of the king of terrors and the captives of the grave. 
For this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruptible 
shall put on incorruption ; and then shall be brought to pass 
the saying that is written,-—" Death is swallowed up in vic- 
tory." 1 Cor. xv. 4. 

How delightful and glorious will be the contrast between 
our precarious existence here, and that of the glorified spirits 
in heaven. Sad experience has made us familiar with the 
evils of our present coudition, but we can form only a very 
faint conception of the vast rewards that await the faithfu* 
when they reach their final home. 

III. Death will destroy our earthly pleasures. 

The very thought of death, to the votary of pleasure, is suf- 
ficient to cast a dismal shade over his brightest worldly pros- 
pects. Go to the man of wealth in his splendid mansion, 
living in the enjoyment of all the pleasures that earth can 
afford, and remind him of the certainty of death, and how 
unwelcome the admonition. The idea of dying is like the 
bitterness of wormwood in his cup of nectar ; it poisons all his 
pleasures. How sad to think of pleasure's short duration ! 
What gloomy and melancholy feelings are associated with the 
an ticipation of the hour of our dissolution. Hence it is that we 



l&B Life and immortality 

are disposed to put far away the evil day, and to banish as faf 
as possible from our thoughts the day of our death. 

Not only is the expectation of death so unpleasant as greatly 
to lessen our pleasures while we enjoy them, but when that 
event shall take place and separate us from the objects which 
are now the source of our delights, then will our worldly plea- 
sures end and cease forever. But the pleasures of heaven will 
be eternal: without interruption or end* "God shall wipe 
away tears from off all faces ; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow nor crying ; neither shall there be any 
more pain : for the former things are passed away." Rev. xxh 
4. ** The ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to 
Zion," &c. Isaiah xxxv. 10. Disease cannot enter there and 
unfit us for the pleasures of heaven ; time cannot impair them, 
nor death destroy them. There will be immortal youth, per- 
petual summer, and unfading joys. Perhaps from no other 
source do we derive greater pleasures here than from the society 
of affectionate friends. Hence we form circles of acquaintance, 
and are happy for a time, till death enters and breaks up our 
association. Where are those beloved friends and associates 
whose society we once enjoyed, and thereby beguiled the tedi- 
ousness of life's cares and sorrows ? Death has come and 
claimed them as the subjects of his absolute and universal 
dominion. We ask for our parents to whom we once looked 
up for protection and support ; for our brothers and sisters, 
the loving companions of our life's morning dawn, but nought 
but death's echo replies,— " They are gone." We form the 
most intimate and pleasing associations, with the certainty 
that death will soon dissolve the bond of our connection ; and 
how soon, too, does he come to perform his work. How many 
circles has he already broken up, and how many more will he 
enter ! how much happiness does he destroy ! what misery 



LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 197 

follows in his resistless march ! Here he reigns an absolute 
monarch over every child of man ; and how many sighs and 
bitter tears daily attest the universality and the cruelty of his 
reign. Behold him invading the family circle, and with his 
resistless iron grasp seizing the kind parent or the blooming 
child ; and then witness, in the tears and anguish of the sur- 
viving friends, how death destroys our worldly pleasures. 
But in heaven there will be no death, and, consequently, no 
separation. There friends meet to enjoy each other's society 
forever, free from the disquieting apprehensions of a separa- 
tion. There the families of the faithful will be re-united, to 
be torn asunder no more by the ruthless hand of death. Ask 
the Christian mourner, while his heart is yet bleeding from the 
fresh wounds which death has inflicted, if the absence of death 
with all its sad effects does not render his heavenly home more 
desirable 1 

IV. But, lastly, Death removes us to an untried and change- 
less state of existence. 

Notwithstanding the evils we suffer here, and the sorrows 
which attend on every step, we are fond of our present home, 
and the thought of exchanging it for one with which we are 
unacquainted, is by no means agreeable to us. In the present 
life, too, our circumstances are perpetually changing, and if our 
condition at any time is not such as we desire, hope enables 
us to look forward to a period when some happy change will 
take place, relieve us from our sorrows, and put us in possession 
of the good we desire. But in the eternal world there will be 
no change. In heaven, death can never enter to remove its happy 
inhabitants, for they shall be ever with the Lord. They will 
not be carried from joy to sorrow, from prosperity to adversity : 
all will be joy and peace, without any change or mixture of 
sorrow. 



198 LIFE AND IMMORTALITY. 

How much, then, is implied in this brief description of 
heaven, and how happy and glorious the home of the saints. 
If, however, in eternity there will be no death, how awful, indeed, 
will be the state of the sinner when banished from the presence 
of God. We sometimes wish for death to relieve us, as we 
suppose-, from our sufferings. But though the lost in hell 
may desire to die, yet death will flee from them ; and an eter- 
nity of changeless, deathless, hopeless agony will be their 
awful portion. Our own conduct will decide the question, 
whether we are to spend a deathless eternity in the enjoyment 
of the unfading and uninterrupted pleasures of heaven, or 
amidst the rayless gloom and the unalterable miseries of hell. 
How important, then, is the present life, which is to deter- 
mine such momentous destinies. The Lord help us wisely to 
improve it. 



SERMON XII 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 



Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion 

FOR A FOUNDATION A STONE, A TRIED STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER-STONE, 
A SURE FOUNDATION ! HE THAT BELIEVETH SHALL NOT MAKE HASTE. 

Isaiah xxviii. 16, 



The Lord, by the prophet Jeremiah, (2-13,) says, "For my 
people have committed two evils ; they have forsaken me, the 
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, 
broken cisterns, that can hold no water." And the evils of 
which the Lord here complains were not confined to the 
people of Israel ; but have been fearfully prevalent in every 
age, and amongst all the nations of the earth. That it is the 
natural disposition of every descendant of the fallen pair to 
forsake the living God, none will pretend to deny ; and it is 
equally an indisputable fact, that it is the prevailing disposi- 
tion of fallen men to rest their expectations of present and 
future happiness upon any other, however slender and uncer- 
tain, than upon the proper and only sure foundation. Nor 
need we scarcely refer, in proof of this, to the various schemes, 
devised by human, and we might add, by diabolical ingenuity, 
for the purpose of quieting the clamorous accusations of a 



200 THE FIRM FOUNDATION, 

guilty conscience ; of satisfying the aspirations of the immor- 
tal spirit of man, after a desired good which he does not 
naturally possess ; of protecting him against present evils, and 
giving him a consoling hope of future safety and bliss ; and 
for the purpose of shielding him against the disquietude and 
alarms which the unenlightened contemplation of death creates, 
followed as it will he by the solemn realities of judgment, and 
a changeless eternity. To accomplish these objects, painful 
penances, costly ablutions, long and wearisome pilgrimages, 
protracted privations, and the infliction of severe bodily tor- 
tures have been devised. But of all these things, the inventions 
of a depraved and perverted ingenuity, it may be said that 
they are bat broken cisterns, refuges of lies, false depend- 
encies, which can afford no consolation or sure support to the 
immortal spirit, when most it will need some sure foundation 
upon which to rear its hopes. To all the deluded victims of 
these superstitious errors and delusive hopes, who may be 
represented as saying in the language of the verse preceding 
the text, "We have made a covenant with death, and with 
hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing scourge shall 
pass through, it shall not come unto us : for we have made 
lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves :" 
to all those who have trusted in any false hope or refuge, the 
Lord speaks in the words of the text, and calls their attention 
to the only sure foundation in opposition to the refuges of 
lies in which they had trusted : as if he had said, since there- 
fore, the refuge to which you have fled is not safe ; since it 
cannot afford you that support and protection which you need 
to shield you from the overflowing scourge of divine wrath ; 
and because I have no pleasure in the destruction of any, 
" Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I lay in Zion 
for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, 
a sure foundation : he that believeth shall not make haste." 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 201 

There is no doubt whatever that these words have reference 
to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to him alone. And there is no 
hazard of giving a false interpretation of this prophecy of 
Isaiah in applying it to the Saviour of the world, since the 
Apostle Peter, under the unerring influence of the Divine 
Spirit quotes it as descriptive of him alone. u To whom 
coming," says he, "as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed 
of men but chosen of God, and precious, ye also as spiritual 
stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," 
wherefore, also, it is contained in the Scripture, referring 
undoubtedly to this passage, " Behold, I lay in Zion a chief 
corner-stone, elect precious, and he that believeth on him shall 
not be confounded." Peter ii. 4-6. 

Taking these words then in their evangelical sense, as apply- 
ing to the illustrious Personage whose advent we are met to 
commemorate,* they present him to our view under the most 
cheering aspects, and the contemplation of his character, as it 
is here portrayed in the figurative language of the text, cannot 
fail of affording both pleasure and profit to every sincere peni- 
tent, and every faithful Christian. 

u Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion 
for a foundation a stone,'' We need scarcely remark that by 
Zion we are doubtless to understand the Church of God, the 
universal Church as it has existed uuder every dispensation, 
whether patriarchal, Jewish, or Christian. Of this Church 
Zion was a very significant type. It was at Zion or Jerusalem 
that the temple was situated, which contained all those signi- 
ficant symbols through the medium of which the people learned 
the plan of redeeming grace, and held intercourse with Heaven. 

* Preached on Christmas Day. 



208 THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

Out of Zioir as the chosen and sacred repository of Divine 
truth, the law was to go forth. There the Lord declared 
he would dwell in a peculiar manner ; meet with his faithful 
people ; and bestow upon them those spiritual blessings neces- 
sary to qualify them for heaven ; and as the place where all 
the faithful people of God resorted, it was a visible and descrip- 
tive emblem of the Church of God, the spiritual building in 
which all true believers dwell. The Church is called by the 
Apostle Peter a spiritual house, and the members of the church 
are represented as being the spiritual stones of which it is 
built. Of this house, or the Church of God, the dwelling place 
of all true believers, Jesus Christ is said by the text to be the 
foundation which has been laid by the Lord himself. * Behold, 
I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone ;" that is, u Behold, I give 
my only begotten Son to redeem a lost and perishing world, 
and to be the only foundation of a sure and certain hope of 
eternal life." 

There is no truth more clearly taught in the Holy Scriptures 
than that salvation is of God, through Jesus Christ. Nay, 
this is the very sum and substance of all that the Scriptures 
reveal. All we like sheep had gone astray, had wandered far 
from God ; by our transgression, our union and intercourse 
with heaven were broken off, our nature became depraved, and 
our hearts at enmity against God ; but on Jesus Christ the 
Lord was laid the iniquity of a guilty world. He has become 
the Mediator between God and man, the Restorer of the 
breach ; and the only medium of reconciliation between the 
offended Creator, and offending man. It is to the mediatorial 
work of Christ, his advent, his holy life and atoning death, 
his triumphant resurrection from the dead, his glorious ascen- 
sion into heaven ; and his prevailing intercession at the right 
hand of God that we are indebted for the blessings of a present 



TOE FIRM FOUNDATION. 203 

salvation, and the hope of eternal life. Hence he is very prop- 
erly called a foundation : or the source of all the spiritual 
happiness of mankind. This foundation was to be laid in 
Zion. The Church of God has been established for the purpose 
of collecting together in one body all the real people of God, 
or true believers, and it is by the use of its ordinances and 
instituted means of grace that sinful men are brought to an 
experimental knowledge of God, as their Saviour, and that 
Christians are assisted in the discharge of their duties, and 
made partaker's of eternal life. Now, the very reason why we 
are favoured with all the ordinances of religion necessary to 
assist us in working out the salvation of our souls, is because 
of the atoning mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. For had 
no plan of redemption been devised, through which the Lord 
could restore guilty man to his favour, in harmony with all 
the attributes of his nature, there could have been no inter- 
course between heaven and earth, no voice of mercy had ever 
saluted our ears, no church would ever have been established in 
the world, by the institutions of which we both learn the way 
of salvation, and are enabled to lay hold of eternal life, 
Hence Jesus Christ as the only Mediator between God and 
man, and the author of our present and eternal salvation, is 
very properly called the foundation laid in Zion, or the first 
stone laid, upon which the Church of God is built ; because 
the very first act of God in the redemption of the world was 
to give his only begotten Son, through whose acceptable media- 
tions in our behalf, we enjoy through the instrumentality of 
the visible Church, or the spiritual Zion, those means of grace 
by the use of which, we, although naturally aliens from the 
commonwealth of Israel, are made fellow- citizens with the 
saints, and heirs of the heavenly inheritance. 

%. But the text not only informs us that there js a founcj- 



204 THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

ation laid in Zion, but our attention is also directed to the nature 
of that foundation. It is a stone. It is neither wood, hay, 
nor stubble. Nor is this foundation composed of metal or 
any other fusible material. We have not time here to notice 
all the figures by which Jesus Christ is represented to our 
view, when he is set forth as the great source and the only 
foundation of human salvation. We merely remark that the 
figure under which he is represented in the text is one of 
striking force and beauty, and if properly understood, is most 
admirably adapted to afford the strongest .consolation to every 
believing soul. 

This foundation is a stone, solid, durable, and incapable of 
being destroyed by fire, the most destructive of all the elements 
of nature. And how fitly in all these respects does it represent 
the Lord Jesus Christ. As God, he possesses all powers both 
in heaven and in earth, and he is abundantly able to sustain 
the whole weight of that spiritual building of which he is the 
foundation. Although thousands and millions of guilty sinners 
have built on him their hopes of eternal life, he remains 
unshaken still ; and millions more, as heavy laden as sin can 
make them, may rest on him with equal safety. The founda- 
tions of the mountains may be crushed beneath their super- 
incumbent weight, but the foundation laid in Zion is ten 
thousand times more solid than even the basis of the everlast- 
ing hills. The whole weight of a world of perishing, but 
redeemed souls, will never be able to move it. He is able to 
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him. 

But this foundation-stone is not only solid, it is also durable. 
The longest lapse of time, and the concussion of the many 
destructive elements of nature, cannot affect it in the least. 
Jesus Christ is tl the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." 
Heb. -xiii. 8, Hear the testimony of the Lord himself con- 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 205 

cerning the unchangeable perpetuity of this foundation : " But 
unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, God, is forever and 
ever : a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 
And thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of 
the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands : they 
shall perish ; but thou remainest ; and they all shall wax old 
as doth a garment ; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up? 
and they shall be changed : but thou art the same, and thy 
years shall not fail." Heb. i. 8, 10-12. With him there is 
" neither variableness nor shadow of turning." While all earthly 
things are liable to change and to be destroyed, he remains 
immutably and forever the same, unaffected by any change, and 
incapable of being either removed or destroyed. 

This stone is also said to be " a tried stone." There is, prob- 
ably, an allusion here made to the practice of every wise master- 
builder or skilful architect, of trying or proving the quality and 
fitness of the materials of which the building is composed, and 
especially of those materials which are designed for the most 
important part, such as the foundation, for if that be defective 
the building must sooner or later fall. Now, Jesus Christ, the 
foundation of this spiritual building has been tried. He was 
tried in the days of his humanity by all the power of tempta- 
tion, and by all the afflictions and sorrows which he had to 
endure, in the performance of his mediatorial work. The 
Father tried him. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, to put 
him to grief, and to make his soul an offering for sin ; and 
what was the result of that severe trial through which he had 
to pass ? He showed his utmost willingness to undertake 
the cause of human redemption, in obedience to his Father's 
will, " Lo !" he savs, c< I come — I delight to do thy 
will, God, yea, thy law is in my heart." During 
the whole period of his humiliation he manifested the same 



206 THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

willing devotedness to the work he had undertaken to accom- 
plish. And when in full view of the last and most painful part 
of the trying scene, we hear him saying with the most perfect 
resignation: "Not my will, but thine be done." He would 
rather that the sword of justice should pierce his own soul, 
than to see even his enemies perish. So satisfactory was the 
trial that the Father declared, " This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased ;" am perfectly satisfied, both as it 
respects his loving obedience, and his condescension for a 
perishing world. 

Earth has tried him. " He came unto his own, and his own 
received him not." He was derided and persecuted by those 
whom he came to save, but still he went about doing good. 
Their wicked hatred and malicious designs toward him could 
not quench his love for their souls, nor induce him to abandon 
the work of redemption. . In spite of the opposition of the 
Scribes, and Pharisees, and the rulers of the Jews, he continued 
to work the work of him that sent him. He fulfilled all righte- 
ousness, and in the midst of the hostility of a wicked world, 
he set forth the most perfect example of patience, meekness, 
and forbearance, under insults of the most cruel and provoking 
nature. But mark, further, the unshaken constancy of his love 
and compassion, even for the chief of sinners, in the circum- 
stances of his condemnation and death. Behold the multitude 
dragging him to Pilate's bar, and there, through their clamor- 
ous demands, procuring the sentence of death against him. 
See him suspended upon the cross, and the blood-thirsty mul- 
titude around, with fiend-like pleasure sporting with his 
sufferings. Had it been possible to destroy his compassion 
for guilty man, the scenes of Calvary would have been quite 
sufficient. But no: for this very trial he had come, and ail 
the malice of a wicked world could not move him in the least 
from the accomplishment of his purpose. 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 20? 

In the very last hour of his trial, and while smarting under 
the agonies of the cross, from the fullness of his loving heart, 
which all their cruelty could not exhaust, his dying words were 
a prayer for his murderers, ''Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they do/' After his resurrection from the 
grave, and when all power was given unto him in heaven and 
on earth, behold with amazement for what purpose his power 
was employed ! It was not to destroy his - enemies ; but to 
commission his apostles to go and make the very first offer of 
mercy to his cruel murderers. 

Hell also tried this stone. All its forces were employed to 
destroy this foundation, and all the legion hosts of the Prince 
of Darkness were summoned in combined array to remove, or 
to crush this stone laid in Zion. " Then was Jesus led up of 
the Spirit to be tempted of the devil/' But hell tried this 
stone in vain. All the fiery darts of the adversary fell harm- 
less at his feet. Amidst all the storms of hellish rage, his 
heart was set upon the accomplishment of his glorious work ; 
and these temptations of the enemy, instead of shaking him 
from his purpose, have only given him an experimental sympa- 
thy with all his tempted followers j for having been " tempted 
in all points like as we are," and having vanquished the tempter 
in every onset, he knows how to succour those who are tempted. 
And what is the testimony of hell after this trial ? It is, 4 ' I 
know thee whom thou art, the only Son of God." 

But this stone, or Jesus Christ, has been tried in his charac- 
ter as the Saviour of the world, by countless myriads of 
depraved, wretched, and ruined sinners, who have always found 
him perfectly able, as well as abundantly willing, to pardon tb e 
most aggravated guilt, to deliver from the most inveterate 
corruptions, to sustain in the midst of the most sore trials, 
aud to save to the very uttermost all that come to God 



208 THE FIEM FOUNDATION. 

through him. Millions upon millions have already built 
their hopes upon this stone ; they have ventured upon it 
with all their load of sin and misery, and it has never failed 
one of them. All that have been saved from Adam until this 
time, both the millions in heaven and the tens of thousands 
upon the earth, are living stones built upon this foundation. 
They have tried its strength, and found it able to sustain them 
all. O could we collect the testimony of the saints of every 
age who have tried this foundation-stone, how would it encour- 
age us to make trial of the same ! We should hear a pious 
Job saying : " I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he 
shall stand at the latter day upon the earth : and though after 
my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I 
see God : whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall 
behold, and not another ; though my reins be consumed within 
me." Job xix. 25-27. '« Though he slay me, yet will I trust 
in him." Job xiii. 15. We should hear the Psalmist exclaim- 
ing, l< Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me ; thy rod 
and thy staff they comfort me." Psalms xxiii. 4. " God is 
the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Psalms 
jxxiii. 26. We should hear the apostle Paul, after having tried 
this stone for many years, testifying even in prospect of his 
final dissolution, " I am now ready to be offered up, and the 
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, 

1 have finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth 
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the 
Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not 
to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." 

2 Tim. iv. 6-8. " Nay, in all these things we are more than 
conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION, 309 

powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height* 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 
Komans viii. 37-39. We might hear also the testimony of 
Polycarp, who, when brought before the heathen rulers, and 
being asked if he would abjure Christ, replied, '« Forty and six 
years have I served him, and he has never forsaken me, and 
how can I now deny him V And how many living wit- 
nesses could bear a similar testimony. The longer they have 
tried him the more fully they can trust in him. Millions of 
penitent souls, as guilty as sin can make them, have tried and 
found that he is able and willing to save the chief of sinners. 
Tens of thousands of faithful Christians have tried him amidst 
every variety of worldly affliction and sorrow, and have found 
his grace sufficient to help them in every time of need. It is 
therefore in the character of a tried Saviour that he is now 
presented to us. And after a trial of nearly six thousand years, 
during which period none have ever trusted in him in vain, 
what abundant encouragement have we to build all our hopes 
of present and future bliss upon him alone. He is and will be 
the same through every age of time, and what he has been to 
his people hitherto, he will be unto the end of time; and in 
the language of the poet we may say : 

" Millions of transgressors poor, 

Thou hast for Jesu's sake forgiven ; 
Made them of thy favour sure, 

Snatched from hell to heaven : 
Millions more thou ready art 

To save and to forgive ; 
Every soul and every heart 

Of man thou wouldst receive." 

But this stone is also " a precious corner-stone." Corner-stones 
serve three very important purposes in the building of which 
they form a part, viz : union, strength, and beauty. They 



210 THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

unite the two sides of the building, and consequently render 
it strong and firm. They impart to it a beauty and grandeur 
in appearance, which it would not otherwise possess. They 
also serve for direction in the erection of the edifice, as all the 
other stones must be squared and regulated by the corner- 
stone. Now. in all these respects how fitly is Jesus Christ 
represented by the corner-stone. He is the bond of union 
between heaven and earth, and he also unites all the parts of 
that spiritual edifice which contains both Jews and Gentiles, 
and incorporates the believers of every nation in one harmo- 
nious bond of brotherly love. It is of this the apostle speaks 
when he says, «■ He is our peace, who hath made both one," 
that is, he has united both Jews and Gentiles in one body ; 
brought them both in harmonious compact into that building 
of which he is the chief corner-stone, and in whom all the 
building fitly framed together, composed of materials collected 
from all the nations of the world, and united in Jesus Christ, 
'« oroweth up into a holy temple in the Lord." Ephes. ii. But 
Jesus Christ is called a corner-stone to signify his peculiar 
importance in this spiritual building. He is sometimes called 
the chief corner-stone and the head of the corner. He occupies 
the most important place of all. It is he that upholds, 
strengthens, and beautifies the whole. Without him, apostles, 
prophets and all, are but sinking sand. On him all their 
doctrines depend ; in him they all meet as their common centre, 
and from him they all derive their saving efficacy. Take 
away this corner-stone and immediately the saints in heaven 
fall from their thrones, and the saints upon earth who are 
gradually rising towards heaven sink forever. Remove this 
corner-stone, and this glorious living temple, which has been 
rising and increasing for so many ages, falls to the "ground 
and covers heaven and earth with its ruins. 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 211 

But Jesus Christ is here called " a precious corner-stone." 
There may probably be an allusion in this expression to the 
custom which obtains Amongst some architects of making the 
corner-stones of a finer quality of material than the other 
parts of the building. Hence they may be called precious 
corner-stones, because of the superior quality of the material 
of which they are made. And in this respect it may be said 
of Jesus Christ, that he is a precious corner-stone. Although 
he possessed a nature similar to ours and became our kinsman 
according to the flesh, yet that nature was perfectly free from 
all those sinful infirmities to which human nature in its fallen 
state is subject. " He was holy, harmless, undenled" by the 
least taint of sin, " and separate from sinners." And hence, as 
it respects the superior excellence of his human nature, he is 
precious, fairer than the children of men, and far superior to 
any of the lively stones in the spiritual Zion. But he is more 
especially precious with regard to the divine dignity of his 
person, as possessing lt all the fullness of the Godhead 
bodily," the sum total of all divine excellencies, and as 
clothed with all the virtues of a perfect man. " In him 
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." 
Col. ii. 3. "For it pleaseth the Father that in him 
should all fullness dwell." Col. i. 19. In short, all moral 
excellency, divine and human, created and uncreated, centre 
in him, and render him infinitely precious and valuable. He 
is precious to his Father ; he is styled " his only begotten and 
beloved Son in whom he is well pleased ; his elect, in whom his 
soul delighteth." He is the object of the ceaseless adoration 
of all the angelic hosts, who' ever celebrate his praise in strains 
of most harmonious melody, saying with a loud voice, " Worthy 
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and 
wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." 



213 THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

He is precious to every sincere penitent and to all true 
believers, The apostle Peter says, " To you therefore which 
believe he is precious," His atoning bldod is called " precious 
blood," his promises " precious promises," and the gifts which 
he bestows are represented by " gold tried in the fire." Be- 
hold him in whatever respect we may, and how incomparably 
glorious does he appear to every believing soul. How precious 
are his encouraging invitations and promises to the poor 
mourning, guilty, self-condemned sinner, who is earnestly 
seeking the pardon of his sins. Ah, it is the name of Jesus 
that sounds sweeter in his ears than all the music of earth. 

,( Jesus the name to sinners dear, 

The name to sinners given ; 
It scatters all their guilty fear : 

It turns their hell to heaven. 
Jesus the prisoner's fetters breaks, 

And bruises Satan's head ; 
Power into strengthless souls it speaks, 

And life into the dead." 

How precious is his sanctifying grace to those who feel the 
burden of their sins, and the roots of bitterness within. He 
is infinitely precious to his people in all the relations he bears 
to them as their Prophet, Priest, and King. In all the mani- 
festations of himself to his followers, how glorious and welcome 
is his appearing. In darkness he is their light ; in weakness 
their all-sufficient strength ; in sorrow their joy ; in distress 
their comfort ; in temptation their deliverer ; in poverty their 
riches ; in life their portion 5 in death their support ; and in 
eternity their exceeding great and everlasting reward. 

This stone is also "a sure foundation." This will appear more 
clearly if we remember by whom it has been laid. It is not the 
work of either men or angels ; it is the work of God, and, like 
dim, it is immovably secure, firm, and indestructible as the 



TttE FIRM FOUNDATION. 218 

throne of God, and as permanent in its duration as the days 
of heaven. No weighty however heavy, can shake the founda* 
tion ; nor can it be demolished by the furious attack of the 
combined powers of earth and hell. Upon this rock, or upon 
this sure foundation* says the Lord, will I build my church* 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it* This is the 
Rock of ages which cannot be removed j and it is a sure foun- 
dation, because it is a tried one. Already has it existed 
nearly six thousand years amidst the surrounding hostility of 
men and devils, and it has never failed one of those humble 
penitents who have cast themselves upon it with all their load 
of sin and misery* 

But this is " a sure foundation," if we consider, further, that 
it is both suitable and sufficient. In the first place, then, it is a 
suitable foundation. The suitableness of this foundation 
arises from the incarnation of the Son of God. "For as the 
children were made partakers of flesh and blood, it behoved 
him in all things to be made like unto his brethren* that he 
might be a merciful and a faithful high-priest in things per-* 
taining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the peo- 
pie. For we have not an high-priest which cannot be touched 
with the feeling of our infirmities* but was in all points 
tempted like as we are* yet without sin." He has an experi- 
mental knowledge of all our sorrows, trials, and temptations 5 
and having suffered himself> he knows how to succour and 
sympathize with his tempest-tossed and afflicted people. In 
his human nature he offered a suitable sacrifice for our sins, as 
the representative of our guilty race ; and having exalted his 
glorified humanity to the right hand of God, he ever lives to 
pour forth his prevailing intercessions in our behalf. But this 
foundation is sure, because it is sufficient to sustain the whole 
weight of the spiritual building erected upon it* Jesus Christ 



214 THE FIRM FOUNDATION 

is God, possessing almighty power ; and he is abundantly able 
to uphold, to save, and to exalt to joys on high, the thousands 
and millions of immortal spirits who build on him their hopes 
of eternal life, All who trust in him are sure of his mercy to 
pardon their most numerous and aggravated transgressions ; 
sure of his sanctifying Spirit to cleanse them from all unright- 
eousness ; sure of his abundant grace to help them in every 
time of need ; sure of victory over legions of malignant foes ; 
triumph in the hour of danger; and sure of a crown of unfad- 
ing glory. And this is the only sure foundation, because it 
is the only one that is sufficient* None but God can save perishing 
sinners ; and he is able to save them to the uttermost, They 
are secure amidst all the dangers that surround, while they are 
upheld and protected by the everlasting arms of Jehovah. 
The security of those who believe in Jesus, and build on him 
as their only foundation, is most beautifully represented by the 
Saviour where he says, — il Therefore, whosoever heareth these 
sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise 
man who built his house upon a rock : And the rain descended, 
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that 
house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock." Mil- 
lions now in heaven have found this a sure foundation, even 
while wading through deep waiers of affliction, and passing over 
the Jordan of death. If they were now to give their testimony, 
it would be similar to that of Hopeful to Christian when they 
were passing over Jordan to enter the gates of the Celestial 
City : " Oh brother," said Christian, '' the waves roll over me ; 
I sink in deep waters where there is no standing." " No, 
brother," replied Hopeful, "I feel the bottom, it is good." 
And such has been the happy experience of all the saints of 
God. They have in this foundation a sure support, when 
both heart and flesh and every other refuge have failed them. 



THE FIRM FOUNDATION. 215 

But the text says, in the last place, " He that believeth 
shall not make haste." The apostle Paul in quoting this 
passage, says, ''Whosoever believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed." Rom. x. 11. And Peter says, U He shall not be 
confounded." The meaning of all these appears to be the 
same, and they all are doubtless designed to set forth the 
immovable security of the true believer. He that believeth 
on him, or that trusts in this foundation, shall be so fully satis- 
fied^of his safety, both for time and for eternity, that he will 
not make haste to leave it, nor will he ever be induced to for- 
sake this object of his trust, or place confidence in any other. 
In patience he will possess his soul ; and even when his trust 
would appear to be vain and unreasonable, he will wait for 
Providence to interpret his own dispensations, confidently 
assured that in his own good time he will make it appear that 
" all things work together for good to those who love God," 
and trust in him with an unshaken confidence. He shall not 
make haste to judge of the dealings of God towards him ; but 
even in the midst of trials and afflictions, he will wait in patient 
expectation of coming forth out of the furnace of affliction as 
gold seven times purified. And he that believeth shall not be 
ashamed of his confidence, nor be confounded by having that 
confidence disappointed. Haste is generally the cause of shame, 
and shame produces confusion. So that he who believes and 
rests on Jesus Christ as the only tried and sure foundation, 
and waits in calm but confident expectation for the consum- 
mation of his hopes, in the manner and time in which a wise 
and overruling Providence shall see proper to accomplish his 
gracious designs towards his people, shall neither be ashamed 
nor confounded. He shall finally receive the end of his faith, 
the salvation of his soul, and be raised up from his place as a 
living stone in the spiritual Zion on earth, to dwell in the 



216 If HE FIRM FOUNDATION. 

heavenly Jerusalem, and to be a pillar in the house above, to 
go no more out forever. Such, then, is the security and the 
bliss of those who believe in Jesus Christ, the foundation laid 
in Zion. May we all be built up as lively stones in this 
spiritual house, and finally be exalted to the fairer mansions 
above* for the Redeemer's sake ! 



SERMON XIII 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 



Thus speaketh the Lord op hosts, sating, Behold the man 
whose name is The BRA.NCH ; and he shall grow up out op his 
place, and he shall build the temple op the lord j 

Even he shall build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall 
bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne | and he 
shall be a priest upon his throne : and the counsel op peace shall 
be between them both. 

Zech. vi. 12, 13. 



The patriotism of the Jewish nation was of a peculiar 
character. It was not a mere bigoted attachment to the soil 
of their ancestral inheritance, nor a blind preference for the 
civil institutions under whose benign influence they had spent 
their childhood, formed their habits, and which now mingled 
their associations in all that was pleasing in the recollections 
of their early years. 

Theirs was the patriotism of piety; an ardent devotedness 
to that form of government which had been established by 
the God of their fathers ; and an almost unconquerable attach- 
ment to that land which had been promised to Abraham, and 
subsequently possessed by his posterity, and which was especi- 
ally endeared to them as the scene of the most wonderful 



218 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

displays of Jehovah's presence and power. But amongst all 
the objects of their attention aDd desire, the holy city, with its 
hallowed associations, held the chief place. Thither the tribes 
went up, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. What- 
ever their afflictions might be, they still pray for the peace of 
Jerusalem. Wheresoever they were scattered amongst the 
nations of the earth, and deprived of their religious privileges, 
with their faces turned toward Jerusalem they pour out their fer- 
vent benedictions, "Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity 
within thy palaces." If in sadness, while sitting by the rivers 
of Babylon, the scenes of other days passed in review before 
them, the deep feeling of their hearts found utterance in gush- 
ing tears, when they remembered Zion. Nor could all the 
taunts of their enemies induce them to take their harps from 
the willows, and tune them to the sacred songs of the sanctuary 
while dwelling in a strange land. 

Their captivity in Babylon, though trying to their faith, 
had not entirely cut off their hopes in the final fulfillment of 
all the Divine promises given to them as the chosen people of 
God. Nor had it damped the ardour of their zeal for the 
house of God, and their desire to repair the desolations of their 
beloved city ; to restore their religious services, and to look 
for the redemption of the promised Messiah. 

In times of their greatest afflictions they were not left with- 
out tokens, more or less significant, to encourage their faith 
and enkindle their zeal. By various expressive figures they 
were frequently directed to look forward, and contemplate the 
advent, character, and work of the Redeemer of Israel. Of 
this nature was the ceremony here described. Some of the 
children of the captivity had but lately returned from Babylon. 
While they were zealously engaged in their work of patriotism 
and piety, as if to animate their hopes, the word of the Lord 



TMfi G&&AT SfllliTtJAL BUlLDEK; 219 

came to the prophet Zechariah, directing him to take with him 
certain of those who had returned from Babylon, and go into 
the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah : and to take silver 
and gold* and make crowns, and set them upon the head of 
Joshua, the son of Josedeck, the High Priest, and speak unto 
him* saying, " Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Behold 
the man whose name is The BRANCH ; and he shall grow up 
out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord : 
even he shall build the temple of the Lord j and he shall bear 
the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne 5 and he shall 
be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be 
between them both/' 

These words contain a most beautiful and significant descrip- 
tion of the character and work of the predicted Messiah* 

I* That the person to whom this significant and prophetic 
ceremony refers is the Messiah, does not admit the possibility 
of a doubt. The name by which he is designated is highly 
descriptive both of his character and work. The term here 
employed literally signifies, to grow, shoot out, or spring forth. 
The figure is most probably taken from that of a decayed stock, 
apparently destitute of the principle of vegetable life, shooting 
forth fresh sprouts which astonish the beholder by the vigour 
of their growth. 

How properly this figure applies to Christ, all the circum- 
stances connected with his appearance in the form of humanity 
fully show* The family of David, from which he was descended, 
might very properly be compared to, or represented by, the 
decaying or decayed stump of a once stately tree. It had lost 
its former dignity and renown. The sceptre it had once wielded 
over an obedient people, and over submissive foes, was now 
held by but a palsied hand, and was just ready to fall forever. 
Hence the prophet Isaiah describes the peculiar condition of 



&2d TfiE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER* 

the family of David : " And there shall come forth a Bod out 
of the stem of Jesse ; and a Branch shall grow out of his 
roots." Isaiah xi. 1. When the stem of Jesse was decayed* 
and the house of David, once so glorious, was reduced to a 
state of the lowest depression* and no longer distinguished hy 
that regal dignity which it once possessed, then it was that the 
Branch or the Messiah sprung up, and from an obscure and 
humble origin he advanced to the supreme dignity of King 
of kings, and Lord of lords. Hence this prophecy may be 
viewed as descriptive of the humanity of Christ. He is here 
called " the man whose name is The Branch* and he shall grow 
up out of his place." It had been predicted that the Messiah 
should appear in the form of a man, of the house and lineage 
of David. He appeared first as a babe in Bethlehem. He 
grew up, and advanced, through the successive stages of. human 
existence until he arrived at the full strength and vigour of 
manhood. Having accomplished the labours, and endured the 
sufferings of his mediatorial work* he ascended to sit upon the 
throne of his father David, to order it and establish it with 
judgment and with justice, from henceforth even forever : and 
thus a Prince of that illustrious royal line is now " Prince of 
the kings of the earth*" 

But the prophetic figure here employed, may also be viewed 
as descriptive of the work he was to perform. 

The tl Branch" was to grow up out of its place, and become 
itself a goodly tree. Like as in the process of vegetation, 
the weak and pliant shoot becomes a stately tree ; so Was it to 
be with the Messiah in his progress from his Jowly condition, 
to glory and dominion. His real character, which was con* 
cealed under the veil of his humanity, was sometimes dimly 
seen in the miracles he wrought, and in the wisdom of his 
teachings ; but it was displayed more significantly in the 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 221 

scene of the transfiguration, until bursting from the confine- 
ment of the tomb, he declared his universal authority and 
power, and ascended in triumph to his throne in the heavens. 

The progress of his kingdom in the world may very properly 
be represented by a branch. The largest and most luxuriant 
branch upon a stem was once a bud. The mightiest results 
had once a small beginning. So it was with the Messiah's 
kingdom. A despised Galilean, and a few Jewish peasants, 
without name or influence, were the only visible instruments 
employed in promoting that cause which was designed to 
increase, until the entire world of mankind should be embraced, 
and enjoy its unspeakable benefits. The figure here employed 
very appropriately describes the beginning and progress of this 
work. The Jewish Church, at the time of the Messiah's 
advent, was in a fallen state, devoid of spiritual life. From 
this decayed and lifeless mass, the seeds of the new religion 
sprung up. For a time it was like its Author, despised and 
rejected of men. But the Branch grew. Unfruitful as was 
the soil, it continued to increase until it became beautiful and 
glorious. The heaven-descended truths of the Gospel tri- 
umphed over the hostility of man's fallen nature, humbled the 
proud philosophy of the learned Greek, subdued the stubborn 
bigotry of the Jew, dispelled the densest darkness, broke the 
strongest chains of the Gentile world, and shed the mercy and 
peace of heaven into those dominions where cruelty revelled 
amidst the ruins of human happiness, 

This figure may also be viewed as highly descriptive of the 
nature of his work — the grace of God in the soul. It pro- 
gresses from a small, and often an unpromising beginning, 
until it accomplishes its most glorious results. Hence the 
figures employed by the Saviour himself, in illustrating the 
nature of his work in the heart. The kingdom of God is 



222 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

likened unto a grain of mustard seed, which, though the least 
of all seeds, by the process of vegetation becomes a great tree. 
A single ray of Divine light shed into the soul is often the 
unauspicious commencement of this work. That ray pene- 
trates the gross darkness of the mind, infuses the quickening 
principle of spiritual life, and continues to receive fresh acces- 
sions, until the whole soul is illumined with the incipient splen- 
dours of the light of heaven, imparting to fallen and polluted 
man that moral excellence and spiritual purity which fits him 
for his heavenly home, and for the employment of that glorious 
state. 

The figure here employed may be considered as representing 
the mysterious and irresistible manner in which the work of 
Christ is carried on and finally accomplished. That the seed 
vegetates, the plant grows, and the branch increases, as the 
consequence of their connection with their respective sources 
of vegetable life, is a fact universally admitted ; but who can 
explain the mystery? Who can describe, or even understand 
the mode of operation by which these mysterious processes are 
continually going on, and with the results of which all are so 
familiar ? So is it in the work of Christ. " The wind bloweth 
where it listeth," the sound is heard and its effects are seen, 
but its origin and end who can tell ? The dark mind is 
enlightened, the dead soul is quickened, the careless sinner is 
alarmed, the penitent believer receives the joyous assurance of 
pardon, the depraved spirit puts on the beauly of holiness ; but 
who can unfold the mystery ? The cause is revealed ; but the 
mysterious mode of its operation is not explained. It is the 
power of God. The Gospel is the power of God unto salva- 
tion. Nothing less than the omnipotence of Jehovah is suffi- 
cient to produce such mighty effects. Not all the evidence of 
miracles and prophecy, nor the commanding reason, nor the 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 223 

beauteous simplicity and holiness of Christianity, could have 
given it success in a world where it was hated and despised for 
the very reason of its truth and excellence. It is received as 
the remerly only when the Spirit convinces men of sin, of 
righteousness, and a judgment to come. And while this unseen 
agent is at work, the cause of the Redeemer will advance 
whatever obstacles oppose. For as the branch, which derives 
its nourishment from the stock, displays an irresistible power 
of increase, and extracts strength, beauty and fruit, from storms 
and rains, and wintry snows, as well as from the milder influ- 
ences of the summer air and genial sun-beams, so while God 
works mightily in us by his Spirit, and goes forth with his 
hosts to battle, all our temptations and afflictions, and every 
apparently adverse circumstance, will contribute to our pros- 
perity, and the wrath of the enemy and the avenger will be so 
controlled as to contribute to the ultimate accomplishment of 
His purposes of redeeming mercy. 

But the prophet here also describes the work which was 
to be the special object of the Messiah's coming. " And he 
shall build the temple of the Lord ;" and in order to show 
the certainty of the thing, and to render it more emphatic, 
he repeats it, u Even he shall build the temple of the Lord :" 
that is, just as certainly as they were now engaged in raising 
the ruins of their city and temple, just so surely shall he 
whose coming is thus figuratively predicted, perform the 
work for which he is appointed — the building of that 
spiritual temple, and preparing it for an habitation of God. 

The great work of patriotism and piety in which these 
ransomed captives were now engaged, is here made by this 
significant ceremony to bear a spiritual import, and by it 
they are directed to the contemplation of that grand object, 
to the accomplishment of whicli all the Divine manifesta- 
tions referred. " * 



224 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

The condition of their city and temple, in ruins, might 
be viewed as pourtraying the moral desolations of mankind, 
without the cheering tokens of the Divine presence, without 
any defence against the assaults, and tyrannizing and ruin- 
ous dominion of their malignant foes, exposed to the unmit- 
igated evils of their fallen state, and to the rewards of 
transgression in a future world. That soul and body which 
were originally designed to be the habitation of God through 
the spirit, had now become the abode of an envious usurper, 
who exercised his cruel power without pity and without 
remorse. - The light of the Divine countenance was with- 
drawn, and the dense gloom of a moral light enveloped his 
soul, darkening his moral perceptions, vitiating his passions, 
and rendering him the perfect contrast of the character he 
was designed to bear. 

Now the work of the Messiah is set forth by the enter- 
prise in which these ransomed captives were at this time 
engaged. Thus while this significant ceremony encouraged 
them with the prospect of the final completion of their 
design, notwithstanding all the opposition of their enemies ; 
it taught them also that the Messiah himself was to be the 
Great temple-builder, that he was to be the Architect of 
that more glorious, spiritual house, of which both the old 
and new temples were expressive types. 

This man whose name was The Branch is to build the temple 
of the Lord, to lay the foundation, raise the superstructure, 
and sustain the Christian Church. This was to be a spiritual 
temple, the house not made with hands, composed of lively 
stones, polished and cemented together by the skill of the 
great Architect himself. We need not stop to attempt the 
proof of that truth, so generally admitted, that the Christian 
Church is the work of Christ ; nor of the truth, that each 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER, 225 

individual member of that Church, is prepared for the place 
occupied in it, by the possessing of that saving grace of which 
he alone is the author and source : but we notice more partic- 
ularly, that a temple of God on earth implies the residence of 
God amongst men ; and the special object of the Messiah's 
mediatorial manifestation was to restore the residence of God 
with man. 

When he ascended on high he led captivity captive, he 
received gifts for men, yea even for the rebellious also, that the 
Lord God might dwell among them." Now the residence of 
God in this spiritual temple is effected by his presence and 
abode in each of the lively stones of which it is composed. 
Every part of this temple, all the materials employed in its 
erection, are instinct with the spirit and life of the great 
Builder. 

Thus the apostle Peter addresses the believers, " Ye also, 
as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.' , 1 Peter ii. 5. 
Hence God dwells in his temple, or in his Church, because he 
dwells in the hearts of his people, each member of his church ; 
or every heart renewed and sanctified by his grace is the tem- 
ple of the living God. Hence the work of the Messiah in 
building the temple of the Lord, is carried on and accomplished 
in the conversion of sinners, and in the sanctification and edifi- 
cation of believers ; thus reconciling man to God, purifying his 
soul, and preparing it for the dwelling place of the High and 
Holy One that inhabiteth eternity. Nor has any person any 
part in this spiritual building until taken from the rude mass 
of nature, and fitted and polished, and thus prepared for a place 
by the skill of the Divine Architect himself. No merely 
human qualifications however perfect, external professions 
however high, nor any pretended claims however confidently 
put forth, can be received in the absence of the evidence afforded 

L-2 



226 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

by the unequivocal marks of the workmanship of the Heavenly 
Artist. Men may boast of their apostolic order — of their 
ecclesiastical antiquity, and of their supposed virtue of epis- 
copal succession al authority ; but if they cannot exhibit the 
significant tokens of the presence and work ot the great Builder 
of the spiritual temple, in the living piety, and holiness of 
their lives, all their pretensions and Pharisaical claims that 
the " temple of the Lord are we, and heathens all the world 
beside," are as empty as the sounding of the senseless brass or 
the tinkling symbol. And how incomparably foolish and 
wicked for any association of individuals to lay claim to the 
attributes of even any part of this spiritual temple, while in 
their individual experience and conduct they furnish the clearest 
evidence of being utter strangers to the transforming power of 
the Heavenly Builder ! Yet how many are there, who are 
saying in the darkness, and haughty pride of their unrenewed 
hearts, " The temple of the Lord* the temple of the Lord are 
we," while their conduct too plainly evinces that they are in 
the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. They are 
building their hopes of salvation upon that baseless fabric of a 
vision— a mere professed or imaginary connection with some 
lifeless form of Christianity. But in the erection of this 
glorious temple, the whole of the work, from the laying of the 
foundation to the bringing forth of the top stone, is emphati- 
cally the work of Christ. Every soul delivered from the darkness 
and slavery of sin, impressed with the image of Christ, and 
animated by his spirit, is a lively stone in this temple — raised 
up and fitted, and kept in its place by the immediate agency 
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although human instrumentality 
may be employed in the erection of this edifice, it is in such a 
way that the excellency of the power may be displayed to be 
of God, and not of man ; and it is only so far as human 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 227 

agency is accompanied by the invisible power of Jehovah, that 
it is successful in promoting the accomplishment of this work. 
This spiritual temple, the Church of God, is composed of all 
true believers of every name and nation, who have been made 
partakers of the saving grace of the Gospel, and walk in obedi- 
ence to the Divine commandments. They are the work of the 
Messiah or Branch. By his power they have been raised from 
the rough quarry of fallen nature, fitted by his own plastic 
hand, and polished after the similitude of a palace, assigned 
their proper places, and each enabled to contribute its part to 
the beauty, strength, and final completion of the whole design. 

Therefore, as the sole author and finisher of this work, he 
shall receive the undivided honour of its completion : "And he 
shall bear the glory." 

This may be intended to encourage Ezra and his compan- 
ions in their arduous enterprise by the hope of transmitting 
their names with honour to posterity as the restorers of their 
country's glory ; but it is chiefiy designed to set forth the high 
reward of the Redeemer's mediatorial work. He shall bear the 
glory of the blessed results of the scheme of redemption ; and 
when all the ransomed hosts of earth shall meet around the 
eternal throne, with one harmonious song of triumph they will 
ascribe to him the glory of their salvation, saying with a loud 
voice, Worthy is He to receive honour and power, and 
might, and dominion, forever and ever. w 

But this declaration is, perhaps, principally descriptive of 
the honour and dignity of his character in the exercise of the 
prerogatives of his two-fold office of king and priest. He shall 
bear the glory of the regal character and office, for he shall sit 
and rule upon his throne. 

His glory is here set forth by this description of his regal 
character : a throne, denoting both dignity and dominion, the 



228 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

highest exaltation, arid the possession of supreme power. As 
a prince of an illustrious royal line, it had been prophesied of 
him that he should sit " upon the throne of David, and upon 
his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment 
and justice," and by the splendour and perpetuity of his 
reign, he was to obtain the honour of restoring or raising 
up the departed glory of that fallen house. Hence it was 
said, '' They shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's 
house." But the glory which he is to bear consists not 
merely in his regal dignity and dominion, but in addition to 
this he shall possess the honour of the priestly or mediatorial 
character : '' For he shall be a priest upon his throne." With 
the majesty and power of a king, he shall possess the con- 
descension and compassion of a priest. He shall bear the glory 
of a royal priesthood. This was an honour to which none 
could attain, according to the institutions of the Levitical 
economy. 

The prophetic and priestly offices were sometimes united in 
the same person, and also the regal and prophetic, but never 
were the royal and priestly character and office sustained and 
exercised by the same individual except in the case of Mel- 
chisedek, who, as a type of Christ, received his appointment 
not according to any established rule of succession, but by a 
special Divine appointment ; or, as the apostle expresses it : 
Who was made a priest, li not after the law of a carnal 
commandment, but after the power of an endless life." Heb. 
vii. 16. So the infinite superiority of the official character of 
the Messiah is represented not only in the mode of his 
appointment, but also in his bearing the glory of regal dignity 
and dominion, and of the priestly character and office. "While 
as a king upon his throne the whole weight of the government 
shall be upon his shoulders, and he is employing his preroga- 



THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 229 

tives in the just and equitable administration of all its affairs, 
he will at the same time perform the duties of his sacerdotal 
office, for l( He shall be a priest upon his throne." And 
these two offices, though seemingly incompatible, and the 
duties such as might appear impossible to be performed by 
the same individual, are combined and harmonized in the 
person of the Messiah for the accomplishment of the glorious 
purposes of redeeming mercy, and the salvation of mankind. 

" Hence," says the prophet, " The counsel of peace shall be 
between them both/' That is, doubtless, between his kingly 
and priestly offices ; or, the grand design for which he sustains 
these two offices is to reconcile the world to God. By the 
meritorious sacrifice which he has offered as our High- Priest, 
he has made peace with God for guilty man, and by his power 
as a king upon his throne he delivers all who obey his com- 
mands out of the hands of their spiritual enemies. In the 
performance of the duties of his priestly office he has made an 
atonement for sin. In the exercise of his regal prerogatives 
he rescues man from its dominion and extirpates it from the 
heart. As a priest he makes peace and as a king he maintains 
it ; he sits spiritually enthroned in the heart of every true 
believer and brings into captivity every thought to the obe- 
dience of Christ, preserving the soul in the enjoyment of a 
peace which passeth all understanding. 

The glory of the Messiah's reign as King in Zion and 
High Priest of bis people, and the blessed results of his reign 
as seen in the happiness and security of the subjects of his 
government, are most beautifully set forth in the 72nd Psalm : 
" Give the king thy judgments, God, and thy righteousness 
unto the king's son. He shall judge thy people with righte- 
ousness, and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall 
bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 



230 THE GREAT SPIRITUAL BUILDER. 

He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the 
children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, 
throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain 
upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In 
his days shall the righteous flourish ; and abundance of peace, 
so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also 
from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him ; and 
his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and 
of the isles shall bring presents : the kings of Sheba and Seba 
shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him : 
all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy 
when he crieth 5 the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 
He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls 
of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and 
violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight." 
In the exercise of the duties of his two- fold office, mercy and 
truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other, 
peace is proclaimed on earth, and good will amongst men. 



SERMON XIV. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF FEAKING GOD, 



But unto you teat eear my name shall the Sun of rights 
ousness arise with healing in his wings j and ye shall go tforthj 
and grow uj? as calves op the stall. 

Malachi iy. 2, 



Not long after the Deity had pronounced his benediction 
tipon his works, physical and moral) order reigning in 
delightful harmony throughout the newly-created empire of 
the globe, the pleasing proclamation is succeeded by a sad 
reverse. " And God saw that the wickedness of man was 
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts 
of his heart was only evil continually," (Gen. vi. 5,) was the 
mournful tale that so speedily followed the happier declara- 
tion concerning the works of creation. The glorious light 
which shone in the tabernacle of man's heart, and the celes* 
tial splendour beaming forth from every part of the heavens 
and the earth, whose converging rays met in the one point, 
declaring the glory of God, and conducing to the happiness 
of man, were surpassed only by the thick gloom and denser 
darkness which had enveloped the earth, when the voice of 
Inspiration uttered the fearful fact, " Darkness shall cover 



232 THE ADVANTAGES OP FEABING GOD. 

the earth, and gross darkness the people.''' Isaiah Ix. 2. To 
dispel this gloom, and to rend from our world the thick 
curtains of moral night, Jehovah promised to the sinning 
pair that " the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's 
head." Gen. iii. 15. This personage was subsequently- 
revealed and promised to the patriarchs and prophets, under 
different names and by various types and shadows, more or 
less clear as the time of his advent drew nigh. 

He is called by Isaiah, " A light to lighten the Gentiles, 
and the glory of his people Israel." The prophets, when 
wrapped in visions of futurity, and beholding the latter-day 
glory of the Church, exhort her to " arise, shine, for 
thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon 
thee!" " For," says Isaiah, (lx. 2, 3,) "darkness shall cover 
the earth (the unrighteous), and gross darkness the people ; 
but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be 
seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, 
and kings to the brightness of thy rising." To this auspi- 
cious period, the bright and glorious dispensation of the 
Gospel, the believers of ancient days were directed to look 
for the fulfillment of those prophecies concerning the glory 
of the second temple, which should so far exceed the glory 
of the first, being beautified and adorned by the presence of 
him, who was called, '' The Desire of nations." To those 
happy days the kings and prophets of former times looked 
with ardent desire and longing expectations, each succeeding 
generation more strongly hoping to be the favoured one 
upon whom this heavenly Luminary would shed his cheer- 
ing rays. And the Redeemer, when describing to those who 
lived in the days of his incarnation the superior privileges 
which they enjoyed above those who had preceded them 
upon the stage of action, says, '• Blessed are your eyes, for 



THE ADVANTAGES OP FEARING GOD. 233 

they see : and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say 

unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have 

desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen 

them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not 

heard them." Matt. xiii. 16, 17. So exceedingly did Simeon 

rejoice, that his eyes were permitted to see the pleasing 

sight — 

11 Which kings and prophets waited for. 
And sought, hut never found" — 

that he had not a wish beyond it. With a bounding heart 
he exclaimed, ■" Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart 
in peace, according to thy word : for mine eyes have seen 
thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of 
all people." Luke ii. 29-31. 

There were some, indeed, in all ages of the Jewish Church 
" who waited for the consolation of Israel;" but long ere the 
advent of the Messiah, the greater part of the nation had 
gone away from the ordinances of God, and lost even the 
dim light which prophecy afforded to the just and devout. 

The prophet Malachi, who prophesied about 400 years 
before the coming of the Shiloh, was the last in the order of 
time that was sent to reprove the Israelites for their sins, 
and to exhort them to return to God. He charges the people 
with the most enormous crimes, even the crimes of robbing 
God, and causing others to stumble. The sins of the priests 
and the people he sets before them in the most glaring light, 
and denounces against them the heaviest curses, and yet 
encourages them with the most gracious promises of success 
to return to God. He commences this chapter, which closes 
the Old Testament, with a prophecy concerning a future 
and sorer punishment than had ever as yet fallen upon that 
nation. " For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as 



234 THE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 

an oven : and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, 
shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them 
up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither 
root nor branch." Mai. iv. 1. This is generally supposed 
to apply to the destruction of Jerusalem, than which, per- 
haps, a heavier judgment had never before visited them. 
They had now filled up the measure of their iniquities, 
The servants of the heavenly vine-yard Planter they had 
entreated despitefully and slain, and as if it were necessary 
to complete the score of their crimes, they seize the Heir, 
and put him to a shameful death. " The vials of the wrath 
of God" are unstopped, the sweeping storm of extermination 
passes over their guilty land, and as a nation they exist no 
more. But shall the righteous be forgotten ? Shall they 
be commingled in the ruin of wicked, and partake of the 
scourges sent for the punishment of them only ? No, says 
the Almighty, ''for they are graven upon the palms of my 
hands." Isaiah xlix. 16. '"A thousand shall fall at thy side, 
and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but it shall not come 
nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see 
the reward of the wicked." Psalms lxxxxi. 7, 8. The proud 
rejectors, and wicked cruciflers of the Saviour shall be as 
stubble kindled by the devouring fire : they shall be envel- 
oped in the smoky darkness of the bottomless pit; "but 
unto you who fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness 
arise." " Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it 
be afraid." " If the mother can forget her unlisping infant, 
or a bride her ornaments, then can I forget you, saith the 
Lord. Unless my faithfulness shall fail forevermore, you 
shall not share in the miseries, nor be involved in the 
destruction of the wicked. 

In pursuing this subject, we notice— 



THE ADVANTAGES OF FEAKING GOD. 235 

I. The characters here spoken of : and, 

II. Their blessedness. 

The persons here addressed are said to fear the Lord, and 
in this place, doubtlessly, reference is made to those who in 
the midst of surrounding corruption remained uncontami- 
nated, and held fast their integrity, who, notwithstanding 
many of their fellow-countrymen had gone away from the 
ordinances of God, and in practice, at least, had thrown off 
their subjection to him, had maintained their allegiance to 
the King of kings. But if this prophecy is applied to the 
days of the Gospel, the characters here addressed are the 
disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two classes 
of persons who may be said to fear the Lord, in the sense 
this phrase as used in the Scriptures. The first are those 
who are generally termed " penitents" or " seekers of salva- 
tion." David says (Psalms cxi. 10), " The fear of the Lord 
is the beginning of wisdom ;" and Solomon in Proverbs i. 9, 
and ix. 10, teaches the same doctrine. 

The most advanced state in the scale of human depravity 
which it is possible for man to attain, appears from the moral 
thermometer of St. Paul, (Kom. iii. 18,) to be that of having 
no fear of God before his eyes. Sin has so hardened his 
heart that he feels not the terrors of the Lord. So firmly 
has it closed his eyes that he sees not the danger to which he 
is exposed ; but to him the penitent forms a perfect contrast. 
He " was once alive without the law," but now the command- 
ment with all its spirituality has come home to his heart ; sin 
has revived ; his transgressions gather around him as a cloud, 
he hears now as he never heard before the fearful declaration 
of the law, *' The soul that sinneth it shall die." Ezekiel xviii. 
4 ; his false hopes die within him, his vain conceits disappear 



236 THE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 

as the early dew, and penetrated with a lively sense of his 
danger the language of his heart will be : 

" I tremble lest the wrath divine, 
Which bruises now my sinful soul, 

Should bruise this wretched soul of mine, 
Long as eternal ages roll." 

He fears the Lord with that slavish fear which hath torment. 
The Holy Spirit operating upon his heart, and illuminating 
his mind, convinces him of sin, of righteousness, and of judg- 
ment. He trembles while this Heavenly Orator reasons 
with him of " righteousness, temperance, and judgment to 
come;" his sins are marshalled before him as an army in 
fearful and in bold array ; the standard of true righteousness 
is no longer with him a partial conformity to some rules of 
outward conduct; he is convinced that " the law is holy, and 
the commandment holy, and just, and good," (Rom. vii. 12;) 
the exceeding broadness of the commandment has slain him; 
his ideas of the uprightness of his own life, and his conformity 
to the righteousness of the law, have vanished away before the 
revealing light of the Spirit of truth, and convinced of his 
aggravated and continued offences, he is ready to confess with 
one of old, " In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. 

The solemnity and strict scrutiny of the judgment he feels 
unprepared to meet; thrown into the balances of the sanctuary, 
the fearful declaration, " Thou art found wanting," falls upon 
his ears, and strikes him with terror and dismay. Such is the 
state of the man who has the fear of the Lord, which is the 
beginning of wisdom. He begins to seek a covert from the 
impending storm ; from the avenger of blood he betakes himself 
to the city of refuge ; to the propitiatory, or mercy-seat he di- 
rects his trembling steps, and there, as a guilty wretch, 

" By sin, alas ! undone," 
he groans the sinner's only plea, 

" I am condemned, but Christ has died." 



HIE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 23? 

The other character is he who has obtained the favour of 
God. In the fear of the Lord is comprised every virtue of 
the christian character. Job says, (Job xxviii. 28,) " The 
fear of the Lord* that is wisdom." He fears the Lord* but in 
a different sense from the former* not as a condemned criminal 
fears the execution of the sentence* nor as the abject slave 
fears a cruel master. He fears the Lord as an obedient child 
does a tender and loving parent. This fear so far from ren* 
dering him miserable, in reality increases his happiness. Sin 
being the cause of whatever misery exists in the world, and 
this fear leading him to avoid those practices forbidden in the 
word of God, he is thus freed from guilty fear and forebodings 
of condemnation. He fears not indeed the terrors of the 
Lord, nor the denunciations of his wrath) only as the sheltered 
traveller fears the howling tempest. As he fears to leave the 
covert which screens him from the storm, so the christian 
dares not be found one moment without the cleft of the Rockj 
the Redeemer's wounded side. He fears to offend Him to 
Whom he is indebted for life* and breath, and all things. He 
fears to transgress His commandments lest he should lose his 
favour^ which to him is better than life* and the loss of which 
he dreads more than the loss of all things else beside. Hence 
with the poet he can say, 

" I Want the witness, Lord, 

That all I do is right, 
According to thy will and word, 

Well pleasing in thy sight. 
I ask no higher state, 

Indulge me hut in this ; 
And soon or later then translate 

To my eternal bliss." 

This filial fear leads him to a constant and cheerful obe- 
dience. His meat and drink is to do the will of his Heavenly 
Master ; delightful indeed are the duties enjoined upon him, to 
follow in the footsteps of Him who has gone before him, and by a 



238 TSE ADVANTAGES OP PEARtSG GOD, 

growing likeness to the Pattern of excellence, to seek the 
perfection of the Gospel inheritance* 

II. We consider the privilege of those who fear the Lord. 

To those who fear the name of the Lord the prophet says^ 
*' the Sun of Righteousness shall arise." By the Sun of 
Righteousness we are doubtlessly to understand the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He is to the spiritual what the luminary of the day 
is to the natural world. He is called by John the evangelist^ 
" The true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into 
the world," and by St. Peter, " The Day Star." He is the 
source of spiritual light, communicating to all, by the agency 
of his Spirit, the rays of heavenly light, by which moral dark- 
ness is dispelled from our minds. 

But for him the outbeamings of the Godhead had never 
illumined our guilty world ; thick clouds and impenetrable 
darkness must forever have surrounded the throne of God, 
Nor is He merely a Sun to afford light; but he is also the 
Sun of Righteousness. Through him only God can be just, 
and the justifier of the ungodly. " He is made unto us wisdom 
and righteousness,' 1 the communicator of the elements of true 
wisdom, and by the agency of his Spirit infusing into the heart 
of man that leaven by which the corrupt principles are de- 
stroyed, his nature purified, and he fitted for the society of 
the spirits of the just made perfect. 

" He will arise." Among the comparisons used in the 
Scriptures to illustrate the progressiveness of the light which 
beams upon the sinner's mind in his transition from the dark- 
ness of moral night, to the brightness of the light which fills 
that city where the Lord is the light, none is perhaps more 
beautiful than this. 

The exercises of the minds of different persons under the 
influences of regenerating grace, are as various as the appear- 



THE ADVANTAGES OF FEAlltNG GOD. 



289 



ances which present themselves upon the eastern horizon during 
the successive risings of the sun. It is the same sun that 
rises every morning, but the varied state of the atmosphere 
reflects different appearances upon the eye of the beholder. It 
is the same Spirit that worketh upon all, but there are diver- 
sities of operations. 

In a cloudless morning, a considerable time before the full 
beams of the morning sun displace the nightly shades, faint 
glimmerings of light begin to make their appearance in the 
eastern sky, which gradually brighten until the sun appears 
above the horizon in all the beauty of the morning. Such is 
the gently progressing light, which sometimes shines upon the 
sinner's mind. He at first, perhaps, draws to reflect upon 
his state by nature. The truth, that he is in a state of alien- 
ation from God, weighs upon his mind. He becomes more and 
more deeply impressed with the solemn realities of eternity. 
The dim light is brightened by successively acceding rays. He 
sees more clearly his spiritual degeneracy. He feels more sen- 
sibly his misery and danger. Desires arise in his heart to flee 
from the wrath to come. He begins to approach the mercy seat. 
He views the flaming sword which guards the entrance to 
the tree of life ; turned away, he hears there is mercy with the 
Lord that he may be feared, and plenteous redemption that 
he may be sought unto ; he calls upon God, wrestles in agon- 
J zing prayer, and casts his soul upon the merits of the atoning 
blood. The shadows disperse, and he sees the Godhead 
reconciled through Jesus Christ. 

On another morning clouds overspread the sky, and although 
the change from darkness to light is sensible and real, yet no 
clear rays of the sun can be discovered. Such is the manner 
in which another person is translated from darkness into light. 
He is made sensible of some change in his views and feelings, 



&4G TfiE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 

but he cannot tell from what cause. He no longer relishes the 
things in which he once took delight, — he hates sin and flees 
from the appearance of evil 5 fears the frowns of an angry- 
Creator, and desires to be delivered from sin 5 he is led to the 
exercise of prayer, and obtains a peace of mind he never felt 
before. He experiences a delight in the things of God, which 
leads him to increased earnestness in seeking the clearer light 
and a brighter evidence of his acceptance with God ; until, as 
the sun breaking forth from behind the intervening clouds, the 
Spirit of God shines into his heart, and gives him a clear 
testimony of his interest in the atoning blood. You ask such 
a person the exact time when he was converted to God, and 
he cannot tell. He knows indeed that the sun has arisen, but 
whether it was at five, six, or seven o'clock, he is unable to 
say* " Of one thing I am confident*" he says, " that the dark- 
ness has fled away, and the morning light appears. I am sure 
the sun must have arisen^ for once I could see none of the 
objects around me, but now they are all visible. One thing 
I know,, of whatever else I may be ignorant, that once I was 
blind, but now I see ; once I was in the gall of bitterness, but 
now I enjoy a sweet peace of mind 5 once I had nothing but a 
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, but now, 
* My hope is full, O glorious hope ! 
Of immortality.'" 

Another morning the eastern sky presents a frightful aspect, 
enveloped in the most fearful darkness. But suddenly a 
tempest arises, and as suddenly sweeps away the thick clouds 
from the sky> and shows the morning light brightening upon 
the azure blue, which betokens the quick approach of the " king 
of day." Such is the state of another man, his mind is envel- 
oped in the thickest gloom of moral night ; he appears in a 
most hopeless state of darkness, and human reason would con* 



THE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 241 

elude that a miracle were necessary to turn him from darkness 
to light But almost in a moment he is aroused, perhaps by 
some sudden and alarming providence; the thunderings of 
Sinai's quaking brow alarm his guilty conscience, the Spirit of 
God like a rushing mighty wind sweeps away the scales from 
his eyes ; he sees himself standing upon the brink of ruin, the 
terrors of hell get hold upon him, and like the trembling 
jailer he cries, " What shall I do to be saved ?" Horrid light 
continues to pour into his mind ; he sees that to delay is to 
perish, and with cries for mercy he rends the very heavens, 
and seizes the kingdom of heaven with violent hands. He 
obtains deliverance, and like the wave-tossed vessel anchored 
in the harbour, he rests securely upon the Rock of Ages. 

Perhaps no two mornings since the creation have presented 
appearances exactly similar ; some slight tinge or faint hue in 
the colour of the sky has kept up in succession an endless 
variety. Infinity appears not more in the natural than in the 
spiritual world. Never were the exercises of two persons under 
the influence of awakening and converting grace precisely the 
same. 

The poet says, 

"A thousand ways has Providence, 
To bring believers home ;" 

and it may be added, an equal number of ways has the Spirit 
of God to bring sinners from darkness to light. The infinitely 
varied constitutions cf human minds will cause a diversity in 
the operations of the same Spirit. One is suddenly aroused 
to a concern for his soul, and is almost as soon brought to a 
knowledge of the truth. Another sees not so clearly, nor feels 
so deeply, his lost estate, nor does he obtain so clear an evidence 
of his acceptance with God ; he sees men but as trees walking. 
One says, " At such an hour or minute I saw the sun arise. I 



24:2 THE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 

was looking upon the eastern sky, and I saw it make its appear- 
ance above the horizon. I know that at such a time, and in 
such a place, God for Christ's sake pardoned my sins. Then 
and there my soul was illuminated by the light of God's 
countenance, and I first experienced the joys of salvation.'' 
Another says, " I saw the night depart and the day advance, 
but the exact time when the sun appeared above the horizon 
I am unable to determine ; but I can as easily doubt of my 
existence as of the rising of the sun. I sought the Lord 
earnestly ; the distress of my mind was removed ; my sins which 
pressed upon me with a mountain weight have disappeared ; a 
sweet peace has taken possession of my mind ; I once hated 
God, but now I love him ; I once had no delight in the things 
of God, but now it is my meat and drink to do the will of my 
Master ; and although I cannot refer to the precise moment 
when I first tasted that the Lord was gracious, yet in this will 
I be confident, that the Lord hath brought me out of an horrible 
pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and put 
a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our God." 

The Holy Scriptures teach the growth and increase of the 
Christian in grace and knowledge. As the sun stops not at 
the horizon but pursues his shining way to meridian splendour, 
so does the Christian from the time of his illumination urge 
on his pilgrimage towards his place of destination. To the 
believer shall the Sun of righteousness arise as well as to the 
penitent. He is indeed brought to behold the light of life ; 
but that light admits of different degrees of brightness. As 
the child advances through the different stages of human life, 
towards the full maturity of years, so does the man who fears 
the Lord proceed from one degree of grace to another, until 
; he is made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. He 
is able at first to bear only the gentle morning rays of the Sun 



THE ADVANTAGES OF FEARING GOD. 243 

of righteousness ; he can understand only the most simple gospel 
truths ; he has need to be fed with milk, and not with strong 
meat, and to be instructed with the plainest doctrines of 
Christianity. As he follows on to know the Lord, new devolop* 
ments of the saving plan are spread before him, sublimer ideas 
of the scheme of redemption occupy his mind, he entertains 
more enlarged views and more comprehensive conceptions of 
the wisdom of God in the operations of his providence and 
grace ; and adding grace to grace he is finally able to compre- 
hend what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, 
and to know the love of Christ which passe th knowledge. 

The sun in ascending to the meridian affords not increasing 
light merely, but also heat more intense, and by his rays 
Warms, invigorates, and enlivens the animal and vegetable crea* 
tion. The Christian does not receive all his joys, nor does he 
experience his holiest delights at the commencement of his 
career. As there is in his life a growth in knowledge, an 
increase of spiritual light, so is there also a progressiveness 
in his enjoyments* It has been said that he can never be so 
happy afterwards as he is at the time of his first obtaining the 
favour of God. We have not so learned Christ. He may at 
the first experience the joy of deliverance from danger, but he 
will feel a more supreme delight in advancing towards the 
perfection of the saints. He may indeed rejoice that he has 
left the land of Egypt, but higher will be his notes of praise 
when, having passed over Jordan's severed stream, he enters 
the promised land. He may sing to his Great Deliverer that 
he has escaped unhurt from Sinai's quaking brow, but he will 
tune his harp to a nobler song when he arrives at Mount Zion, 
and the city of the living God. Heb. xii. 22-24. " With 
healing in his wings." This is, doubtless, a metaphor taken 
from the powerful effect of the rays of the sun in drying up 



S44 THE ADVANTAGES 0E EEARING GOD. 

the stagnant waters* and thus conducing to the healthfulnes3 
of the land. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Great Physician 
of souls ; he heals all our spiritual maladies, and repairs the 
ruins which sin has made in our moral constitution. By the 
influences of his Spirit the fountain of our corruptions is 
dried up ; the rapid and wrong- flowing tide of our nature is 
turned into its proper channel. Under the salutary care of 
this Great Physician our most inveterate diseases may be 
cured, and restored to our primal health, we may 

" Be bold to say our hallowed Lord 
Hath wrought a perfect cure." 

In his rays of light and grace there is healing, our spiritual 
diseases are cured, the native darkness of the mind removed, 
and our sin-sick souls restored to perfect health by the genial 
influence of his reviving beams \ and in the morning of the 
resurrection with brighter lustre shall this glorious sun appear, 
and with unclouded light and increasing splendour shine for- 
ever upon the glorified saints. 

" And ye shall go forth/' either out of Jerusalem to Pella, 
where the Christians found a place of refuge ; or rather* the 
faithful shall go forth and walk in the light of God's counter- 
nance, rejoicing in his salvation, steadily advancing in the path 
of grace, and running with patience and delight the race set 
before them. "And grow up as calves of the stall;" or, as 
one gives the translation, ye shall leap as calves going out of 
the stall. To whatever may be the allusion here made, the 
figure is undoubtedly used to set forth the prosperous and 
happy condition of the righteous. They shall be vigorous to 
perform their duties both temporal and spiritual, so replen- 
ished shall they be with the influences of God's Spirit, and so 
rich and plentiful shall be the supplies of heavenly food afforded 
them, that they shall be continually strengthening and increas- 



THE ADVANTAGES OP FEARING GOD. 245 

ing with all the increase of God. The Psalmist in describing 
the happy condition of the godly man says, " He shall be like 
a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth his fruit in 
his season : his leaf also shall not wither ; and whatsover he 
doeth shall prosper." The prophet Hosea makes use of a figure 
very similar to the one in the text. " Then shall we know, if 
we follow on to know the Lord : his going forth is prepared as 
the morning ; and shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter 
and former rain unto the earth." " The trees of the Lord are 
full of sap," says David, to denote the richness of the ground 
in which they are planted. Again, he says, " The righteous 
shall flourish like the palm-tree ; he shall grow like a cedar in 
Lebanon." He shall grow up from a babe in Christ, and 
nourished by food from above, he shall become a young man ; 
and advancing still through the progressive stages of the 
Christian life, he shall finally attain to the happy and honouiv 
able estate of a father in Israel. 

Such are some of the exalted privileges connected with the 
ei fear of the Lord." May it not with propriety be called 
" wisdom,' 7 to walk in the light, rather than to grope our way 
in darkness ? Is it not wisdom to choose the happiness of the 
saints in preference to the miseries of the wicked ? What- 
ever metaphors or figures may be used to set forth the value 
of the Christian's inheritance, it must ever be remembered, 
that they all fail in expressing the reality. Perhaps the 
apostle Paul gave the most comprehensive description when 
he said, u All things are your's ; whether Paul, or Appollos, 
or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, 
or things to come ; all are yours ; and ye are Christ's ; and 
Christ is God;" 1 Cor. iii. 21-23. To choose 'this estate is 
wisdom — to refuse it is folly. To prefer life to death is the 
act of sober reason, — to choose death to life is but the 
acts of a madman. 



246 THE ADVANTAGES OP FEABING GOD. 

Permit me to inquire, in conclusion, Do you fear the name 
of the Lord ? Have you even that godly sorrow which is 
working repentance unto life ? Are you fearing lest you 
should suffer the punishment due to your sins ; while dark- 
ness surrounds you, that you know not which way to flee ? 
Trembling soul, thou hast cause to fear if thou art still unre- 
conciled to God ; and more still if thou art unconcerned ! But 
if thou art inquiring, " Which way shall I turn my wishful 
eyes, or direct my trembling steps ?" To you " the Sun of 
righteousness shall arise," — he is not far below the horizon, — 
the dawning of the day begins to appear — turn and behold the 
cheering sight. See his brightening rays shining upon the 
overhanging sky ; the shadows are fleeing away ; intervening 
mists shall not long intercept the rays of light emanating from 
your celestial sun. Look by faith until the day break, — the 
shadows disperse, — and the full morning light appears. 

But unto you who fear the Lord with a filial fear he shall 
arise. Although he has arisen to your spiritual vision, the 
light which you at present behold is but faint in comparison 
to that which it is your privilege to enjoy. Be not discouraged 
though clouds may sometimes hide him from your eyes ; he 
still shines, and will continue to pursue his unbending course 
to meridian glory. Gaze upon him continually ; thus will you 
obtain increasing light, your devotions become more fervent, 
your affections be more fully sanctified, and your whole soul 
and body be changed from glory to glory. Let your path be 
that of the just, which is "as the shining light, that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day." 

But are any of you still enveloped in the gloom of morai 

night, and sitting in the region of the shadow of death ? If 

you would utter the real feelings of your hearts, who would 

exclaim, 

" dark ! dark ! dark ! I still must say, 
Amid the blaze of gospel day,"| 



THE ADVANTAGES OP FEARING GOD. 247 

The darkness in which you are now involved is but a prelude 
to the eternal darkness of the world of woe, even that thick 
darkness which will be felt. The gospel light you have here 
«enjoyed will but serve to increase the horrors of eternal night. 
Better for you would it be in eternity, that you had never seen 
the light, if you shut your eyes against it now. Hasten, 
sinner to work while the day lasts, for the night is coming, 
when you cannot work. While you have the light, walk in the 
light, that ye may be the children of light. But what you do, 
do quickly, for the sun will soon be turned into darkness, and 
the moon into blood ; an unexpected breeze may puff out your 
glimmering taper* and leave you forever in that outer dark- 
ness, where " there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 



SERMON XV 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 



But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first 
fruits op them that slept. 

1 Cor. xv. 20. 



In reading the Acts of the Apostles, and the several epistles 
of the inspired writers of the New Testament, we cannot but 
observe the importance they always attach to the doctrine of 
the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It appears that in 
their estimation the establishment of this truth was absolutely 
necessary, as formirg the foundation of all the other doctrines 
of the Gospel. The Apostles and first preachers of the Gos- 
pel always gave it a very prominent place in their ministra- 
tions, and constantly insisted upon it, wherever they went, as 
a point of so much importance that it should never for a 
moment be forgotten. 

In support of these remarks we need only refer to the chap- 
ter from which the text is taken, the whole of which is devoted 
to the discussion of this deeply interesting subject, and the 
consequences immediately connected with, or flowing from it. 

The former part of this chapter is employed to show the sad 
conclusion to which the denial of this doctrine would inevitably 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 249 

lead. The Apostle also briefly notices the evidence by which 
it is supported and placed beyond the possibility of being 
overthrown. This verse appears to be the connecting link 
between the former part of the chapter, in which he proves the 
resurrection of Christ, and the latter part, in which he shows 
the consequences connected with it : for having finished his 
arguments, he announces the conclusion as fully proved. 
" But now is Christ risen from the dead ;" and as the conse- 
quence of his resurrection, he has " become the first fruits of 
them that slept." 

If this subject occupied so largely the attention of the in- 
spired apostles of our Lord and Saviour, — whose mode of 
preaching may always be safely followed, and who never 
attached to any of the doctrines of the Gospel more than its 
real importance — we may on this occasion spend a few 
moments in the consideration of this interesting subject. We 
have already given intimation of the two parts into which the 
subject contained in these words divides itself, viz. : the resur- 
rection of Christ, and the consequence following it. In pur- 
suing our meditations we shall notice, 

I. The evidence upon which the assertion of the text rests ; 
and 

II. The importance of this doctrine as connected with our 
salvation, and especially with the resurrection of the body. 

I. The first thing to be noticed is the reality of the death 
of Christ. Of this we have the fullest proof from the circum- 
stances connected with that event. His execution was public ; 
and in the presence of vast multitudes he bowed his head and 
gave up the ghos't. He was crucified with common malefac- 
tors, in the usual place of execution. His side was pierced 
with a spear, and from the wound thus made, blood and 
water flowed, which must have caused instant death, had he 

M-2 



250 THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 

not been dead already. The soldiers did not break his legs— * 
the usual practice when they wish to hasten the death of the 
malefactor. The reason assigned for this was that he had 
already expired. His enemies knew that he had predicted his 
own resurrection, and they would, therefore, be the more careful 
that he should not be removed from the cross before death had 
actually taken place ; and Pilate refused to deliver the body 
for burial until he had expressly inquired of the officer on duty 
whether he were already dead. His body was laid in the 
sepulchre, and his soul, actually separated from it, went into 
the invisible world, as appears from his own words to the peni- 
tent thief: " Yerily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with 
me in paradise." Luke xxiii. 43. Nor was he taken away to 
an unknown or distant tomb. Joseph of Arimathea made no 
secret of the place where had buried him. It was in his own 
family tomb ; and the Pharisees knew well where to direct the 
watch which was appointed to guard the body from being 
removed. Thus, therefore, — the reality of his death — is fully 
established, and opens the way for the reality of his resurrec- 
tion. When the soul departs, the body dies ; when it returns 
and re-animates, or is united to the same body, there is a 
proper resurrection. 

Having thus noticed the circumstances connected with the 
death of Christ, — which prove the reality of his death beyond 
doubt — the way is open for examining the evidence by which 
his resurrection is proved. 

1. The first proof which we notice is the testimony of 
the disciples themselves. And here we may remark, that 
by both parties — by the Pharisees on the one part, and 
the disciples on the other — it was agreed that the body 
was missing, and that in the state of death it was never 
afterwards seen. The sepulchre was made sure ; the stone at 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 251 

the mouth being sealed, and a watch of sixty Roman soldiers 
appointed to guard it ; and yet, notwithstanding these pre- 
cautionary measures, the body was taken from the sepulchre, 
and was not to be found. Now, for this extraordinary event, 
the testimony of the disciples fully accounts. They declare 
that they saw him alive after his crucifixion ; that at different 
times he had appeared to them, both separately and when 
assembled ; that they had conversed with him and had touched 
his body. These things they affirm. Now, we may always 
confide in the testimony given by persons who are neither 
deceived themselves, nor have any motive or design to deceive 
others. That this was the case with the disciples of Christ 
will appear evident, from the very circumstances in which they 
were placed. 1. They could not have been deceived themselves, 
for they all saw him on several occasions ; they conversed 
with him, handled his body, and saw the prints of his nails; 
and, finally, saw him ascend into heaven. So short a time 
had elapsed from his death unto his resurrection, that they 
had such a perfect recollection of him, as to prevent any 
deception or mistake as to the indentity of his person. St. 
Luke says, in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that 
" he showed himself alive (to the apostles whom he had 
chosen) after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen 
of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to 
the kingdom of God/' Acts i. 3. And in the commencement 
of this chapter the Apostle states H that he was seen of Cephas, 
(or Peter) then of the twelve. After that, he was seen of 
above five hundred brethren at once ; of whom the greater part 
remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After 
that, he was seen of James ; then of all the apostles. And last 
of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." 
Now these proofs of resurrection were so positive as to render 
it impossible that the disciples could be Received, 



253 THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

Equally impossible was it that they could deceive others. 
They had no possible motive or temptation to attempt it ; but 
every inducement to the contrary. They had nothing to 
gain by such a fraud ; while on the other hand they knew that 
their testimony on this subject would expose them to privations, 
persecutions, sufferings of every kind, and even to death itself. 
They were fully aware that by asserting this fact they would 
arouse the opposition of the Scribes and Pharisees, and all the 
Jewish rulers, who would use their authority and power to 
inflict upon them the heaviest punishments. Yet in full view 
of poverty, disgrace, hardships, toils, and death, they every- 
where fearlessly proclaimed this fact. Not only had they 
nothing to gain by their testimony on this subject, and there- 
fore could have no motive to deceive, but, on the contrary, 
their interests were on the side of concealment. By merely keep- 
ing silence they might have avoided all the sufferings to which 
bearing testimony exposed them. What, then, but a deeided 
conviction that they were affirming a most important truth, 
could have induced them to declare the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ from the dead ? It is not less worthy of notice that 
they were all united in their testimony. Some of them 
doubted at first. They all appear to have been slow of belief; 
but they had such infallible proofs as removed every doubt. 
Nor could all their sufferings afterwards, and even death in its 
most frightful forms, force one of them to doubt, much less 
deny, this wonderful event. 

But again : it is worthy of remark, that the account of the 
resurrection of Christ was published immediately, and in the 
very place where the event happened. A long period was not 
suffered to elapse before this fact was proclaimed, nor was a 
distinct place chosen in which to make the first report of it. 
These would have been suspicious circumstances ; but on the 
contrary, the disciples testify the fact from the day of the resur- 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 253 

rection itself, and amongst those very persons who had been 
most active in killing the Prince of Life. Their testimony 
was given, too, not only before private but also before public 
persons, before magistrates and tribunals, before philosophers 
and rabbies, before lawyers expert in examining and cross- 
examining witnesses, and who would immediately have detected 
the deception, had there been any disagreement in their testi- 
monies. Yet no person ever pretended to dispute their testi- 
mony, or to affirm that they published falsehoods. And so 
far as we can learn, even the most zealous enemies of Christ, 
whose interest and inclination would have led them to make 
every effort to impeach the witnesses, and could have done it 
with credit to themselves, even they never attempted to disprove 
the fact that he was risen from the dead. It is true, indeed, 
that in a state of great excitement, an absurd and ridiculous 
story was got up and hastily published, that the disciples of 
Christ had come by night and stolen the body while the guards 
were asleep ; but this story was as hastily abandoned ; for it 
is remarkable that it was never adverted to by the Pharisees 
in any of those legal processes instituted at Jerusalem against 
the first preachers of Christ as the risen Messiah, within a few 
days of the time when the event transpired. First, Peter and 
John are brought before their grand council (Acts iv. 3) ; 
then the whole number of the apostles twice (Acts v. 18) ; 
and on these occasions they fearlessly affirmed the fact of the 
resurrection before the very persons who had originated, and 
hired the soldiers to publish, the tale of the stealing away of 
the body. Yet on no occasion did the chief priests oppose this 
report to the testimony of the disciples, who declared that they 
had seen and conversed with Jesus after his passion. Their 
silence may be taken as presumptive evidence that they did 
not believe this report themselves, and consequently would not 



254 THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 

hazard its exposure by referring to it. For if at any time tbe 
Roman guards could have been brought forward to disprove 
the testimony of the apostles, it was when the whole body of 
the latter were in custody, and before the council; where, 
indeerl, the great question at issue between them was, whether 
Jesus were risen from the dead or not, and where the only 
testimony which could be opposed to that of the apostles, was 
the report of the Roman soldiers. Yet not one of the sixty 
is brought up ; nor is the report whieh the rulers had bribed 
them to circulate so much as adverted to. Thus by tbe posi- 
tive testimony of his friends, and the silence of his enemies, 
is proved the fact of the resurrection of Christ. 

We might also refer to the proof of the resurrection of Christ 
afforded by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of 
Pentecost, and the subsequent rapid spread of Christianity. 
This he had foretold to his disciples previous to his crucifixion, 
and just before his ascension he commanded them to tarry in 
Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high, 
by receiving the gift of the promised Spirit. Accordingly, at 
the appointed time, when the day of Pentecost was fully come, 
this promise was fulfilled by the descent of the Holy Ghost, by 
whose influences the apostles were endued with various gifts, 
and qualified for their important work. They were enabled to 
speak languages which they had never before learned, and to 
work the most astonishing miracles in the name of Jesus. 
Hence it is written in the fourth chapter of the Acts of the 
Apostles, that " with great power," or by the mighty influence of 
the Spirit which attended their preaching, " gave the apostles 
witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus : and great grace 
was upon them all." The effects of that day were soon extended 
to every part of the Roman empire, and if there had been 
doubts in the minds of any concerning this fact, they must 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 255 

have been removed by the irresistible proof which was given in 
the descent of the Holy Ghost, and the extraordinary events of 
that memorable day. Witness also the rapid spread of the 
Gospel as another, or, rather, a continued, testimony to the 
truth of this doctrine. The heathen oracles were soon silenced, 
their temples were shut, their altars thrown down, and Chris- 
tianity, through the instrumentality of a few illiterate fishermen, 
triumphed everywhere. They were feeble instruments, it is 
true, and utterly unable to withstand the force of opposition 
raised against them. Much less were they able to produce 
such astonishing effects, but it was the accompanying power of 
their risen Lord that rendered their labours so abundantly 
successful. The same argument may be still advanced in proof 
of the resurrection of Christ. 

The conversion of a sinner from the error of his ways is the 
work of that same Spirit which descended on the day of Pen- 
tecost and converted three thousand, and by whose powerful 
agency the cause of Christianity spread in spite of the oppo- 
sition of a hostile world. And wherever we see men turned 
from sin to holiness, we are furnished with an incontestible 
evidence of this fact. For if the dead in trespasses and sins 
are raised to spiritual life, it is by the life-giving energy of 
that Spirit which has been sent into the world, both as a con- 
sequence and a proof of the resurrection of Christ. And 
when we sum up all the evidence afforded us upon this subject, 
we discover the perfect propriety of the words of the text, and 
that it is not without the most solid reasons for his belief that 
St. Paul confidently affirms, and in which affirmation we may 
also join, " But now is Christ risen from the dead." 

We proceed to notice — 

II. The importance of this doctrine, as it stands connected 
with the salvation of mankind, and with the resurrection of 
the body. 



356 THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.' 

We may here just observe, that Infinite Wisdom never attaches 
to any subject more importance than its real value demands. 
It will not, perhaps, for a moment be doubted, that all the 
circumstances connected with the resurrection of Christ, by 
which that fact is proved, were ordered and disposed by God 
himself. And if He has been, careful, if we may so speak, to 
furnish us with 'all this mass of evidence upon this subject, by 
which its truth may be placed beyond the possibility of a suc- 
cessful or even attempted contradiction, we must certainly 
infer, judging from the infallible proofs by which it is supported, 
that it is of the highest importance in the great system of 
human redemption. That this inference is correct, a few 
considerations will clearly show. 

1. The importance of this doctrine appears from the fact, 
that the resurrection of Christ is inseparably connected with 
all our hopes of salvation. It must be remembered that Jesus 
Christ came into the world as the predicted Messiah of the Old 
Testament Scriptures. He declared himself to be the Son of 
God, and the Saviour of the world, and consequently the only 
sure foundation upon which mankind could safely rest their 
hopes of present salvation and eternal life. It was on this 
account that his enemies condemned and crucified him. They 
called him an impostor, because he called himself the Christ, or 
Messiah. They brought against him the charge of blasphemy, 
because he claimed the character of Son of God, making him- 
self equal with God. With these accusations against him, 
they condemn and put him to the ignominious death of a 
malefactor. Now the miracle of his resurrection was wrought 
in attestation of that Divine commission under which he acted ; 
and as such, it formed an evidence of the most undisputable 
kind. For if Jesus Christ had been an impostor and blas- 
phemer, as his enemies declared him to be, and for which they 



THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. 257 

put him to death, the power of God could not consistently 
have been employed in raising him from the dead, and in thus 
establishing his false pretensions. 

For as it is impossible for God to lie, it is equally impossible 
for him to work a miracle, the very nature of which would 
confirm a lie. But the fact that Jesus Christ was raised up 
by the power of God, proves incontestibly that he was no 
deceiver, and sets an undeniable seal to the divinity of his 
nature. Hence the apostle Paul, in the first chapter of his 
epistle to the Romans, says, that Jesus Christ was " declared'* 
(or proved) " to be the Son of God with power, according to 
the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." 
That is, his resurrection from the dead proved that he was the 
Son of God, as he declared himself to be. And if he is the 
Son of God, he is no deceiver ; and if he is no deceiver, then 
are all his doctrines true ; and if all his doctrines are true, he 
is the only Saviour of the world ; and if the only Saviour of 
the world, then is he the only foundation of our hopes of salva- 
tion. But that he is the Son of God, the fact of his resur- 
rection from the dead fully proves. Consequently this doctrine 
is inseparably connected with our salvation. Bearing the 
above consideration in our minds, we will be able more fully 
to discover the propriety and force of the apostle's declaration 
in the 17th verse of this chapter, where he says, "And if 
Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your 
sins." If Christ be not raised, he is a deceiver, for he declared 
while he was alive that he would rise from the dead ; and if 
he is a deceiver, as would be proved if he be not risen, he is 
not the Saviour, and your faith in him as the Saviour of the 
world is vain, he has no power to save you, and you are yet 
in your sins. 

2. But the importance of this doctrine appears further, from 



258 THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 

the fact, that it is inseparably connected, not only with our 
own personal salvation, but also with the whole system of 
revelation. This we may infer from the 14th verse of this 
chapter, which reads thus, " And if Christ be not risen, then 
is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." That is, 
if after all the evidence we have of the resurrection of Christ, 
evidence too of the highest kind, it can be proved that he is 
not risen, then as no evidence more positive, or plain, can be 
afforded us on any of the doctrines of revelation, we may con- 
clude that we have no evidence sufficient to prove the doctrines 
we preach, and our preaching these doctrines, without sufficient 
evidence of their truth, is vain, and your faith in them is 
vain, and cannot save you. 

But again : Jesus Christ was the subject of prophecy ; to 
him gave all the prophets witness ; they declared that he was 
to be a Divine person, the Son of God, and the Saviour of the 
world. These prophecies were fulfilled in Him. But if he be 
not risen from the dead, he is not the Son of God and the 
Saviour of the world ; and if he is not the Son of God, then 
are the prophecies concerning him false, and if the prophecies 
be false, they were not inspired by God, and cannot conse- 
quently be received as a revelation from him. 

If one part of the Scriptures be false, the whole is ; for they 
all bear one general stamp, and must stand or fall together. If 
we are indeed deceived in respect to the doctrine of the resur- 
rection of Christ, we may be deceived in respect to the whole 
system of revelation ; for it is all intimately connected with 
this event. If the one is proved, the truth of the other is 
established as a neccessary consequence ; but if the one is not 
true, neither is the other, for they cannot be separated. 

When we thus consider the importance of this doctrine, so 
intimately connected with the whole system of revelation, and 



THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 259 

forming as it were, the key-stone of the arch upon which the 
great Christian fabric is built, we may discover the wisdom 
and goodness of God in surrounding it with evidence which 
proves its truth beyond the power of the most skeptical to 
falsify ; evidence which fully justifies us in making the fear- 
less assertion of the text, "But now is Christ risen from the 
dead ;'< thus proving that he is the Son of God, and that all 
he hath spoken concerning himself is true. He is the only 
and all-sufficient Saviour of the world ; he is the sure foun- 
dation, and in him we may hope for salvation without any fear 
of being deceived or disappointed. 

3. We notice, lastly, the importance of this doctrine from 
its connection with the resurrection of the human body from 
the dead. Jesus Christ, by the resurrection of his body from 
the tomb, has become the first fruits of them that slept. 

There is here an evident allusion to the Jewish custom, 
established by the ceremonial law, of presenting to the Lord, 
as a thank offering, the first fruits of all their increase. But 
there is probably a particular reference to the offering of the 
sheaf, as between this and the resurrection of Christ there is a 
more perfect agreement. In respect to the sheaf presented to 
the Lord as the first ripe fruit of the harvest, there are three 
particular things to be noticed, viz : 1. It was a proof or pledge 
of the coming harvest. 2. It was a part of it. 3. It was a 
perfect specimen of the whole. In all these respects it is a 
very appropriate figurative representation of the resurrection 
of Christ as the first-fruits of the final resurrection of all the 
slumbering dead of the human race. 

1. The resurrection of Christ is a proof of the final resur- 
rection of all mankind. The resurrection is here compared 
to a harvest, of which Christ is the first-fruits, and just so 
certain as the sheaf was evidence that the harvest was at hand, 



260 THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 

equally so is it, that the resurrection of Christ is the proof of 
ours. If there were no harvest, there could be no first-fruits ; 
and if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. If there 
were no possibility of the dead rising again from the slumbers 
of the tomb, then were it impossible that Christ should rise 
again. But that he has actually risen is fully proved, and 
thus has he afforded us a positive proof of this general resur- 
rection of which he was but the first-fruit. 

2. In the resurrection of Christ we have not only the positive 
proof of ours, but also, by the same, we are shown the possi- 
bility of it. In his human nature he was similiar to us. " For- 
asmuch then as the children are partakers of* flesh and blood, 
he also himself likewise took part of the same." *' In all things 
he was made like unto his brethren," possessing their nature 
with all its sinless infirmities and sorrows, and thus, like as 
the first sheaf of the harvest was a part of the whole, he became 
a part of our race, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. 
That soul and body which was similar to ours, were separated. 
The latter was laid in the tomb, and the former was taken to 
the place of departed spirits. These were again united, the 
one to the other in the resurrection state, and joined never 
more to be separated, were taken up into heaven. Thus in 
the very proof of our resurrection from the dead, are we shown 
the possibility of its accomplishment. It is true, indeed, that 
the body of Christ saw no corruption ; the time it lay in the 
grave was so short, that it did not return to dust and mingle 
with its native elements, as do the bodies of all mankind ; but 
this does not at all affect the possibility of their actual resur- 
rection. It is a matter of no consequence with the Lord, 
whether the body has just entered the tomb, and remains yet 
untouched by corruption, or whether it has lain there a 
thousand years, and suffered an entire decomposition. In 



THE itEStJRHECTlON OE CHRIST. 261 

respect to this great and mysterious work* we may say, that 
" One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thou* 
sand years as one day ;'■ and that nothing, which is possibly 
consistent, is Impossible with him* 

3. But lastly, in the resurrection of Christ we have a per- 
fect specimen or pattern of ours. Of this we are informed by 
the words of the text. For as the first-fruits of the harvest 
were a part, and a perfect sample of the whole, so is the resur- 
rection-body of Christ the perfect pattern of the risen bodies 
of mankind. He raised our nature from the tomb ; he glori* 
fied it, and with that nature he ascended into heaven ; and 
there as the Great High Priest of the human family, he 
waves it before the Lord, presenting with it his own spotless 
sacrifice, as the slaughtered Lamb of God, which renders it the 
pleasing first-fruits of the general harvest. Levit. xxiii. 10-12* 
But we are not to understand from these words that none ever 
rose from the dead before the resurrection of Christ. Some, 
indeed, had arisen, but they died again. They were raised to 
mortality, and could not consequently be examples of the final 
resurrection of the dead to die no more. Christ was the first 
who rose to immortality ; death hath no more dominion over 
him, (Rom. vi. 9,) being vanquished by his triumphant and 
glorious resurrection. Concerning the nature of the^body 
which the saints shall possess in the resurrection-state, we do 
not design to make any lengthened remarks, though the sub- 
ject might be pleasing: we merely observe, that as Christ the 
first-fruit is, so shall they be who are Christ's at his coming. 
As they have borne the image of the earthly, so they shall 
hereafter bear the image of the heavenly. This corruptible 
shall put on incorruption ; and this mortal shall put on immor- 
tality ; and then shall be brought to pass that saying which 
is written, " Death is swallowed up in victory." " Raised by 



262 THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST, 

the power of Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, the 
bodies of the saints shall be transformed into a perfect resem- 
blance to the glorified humanity of their incarnate God. 
Delivered from the power of death and the grave, they shall 
no more exhibit any remaining traces of weakness* or dishonour, 
or dissolution, but, arrayed in deathless purity, and spiritual 
beauty, shall contribute to the perfect felicity of the indwell- 
ing spirit, through the duration of a boundless eternity. 

In the contemplation of this subject, there is much to 
establish the fact, and encourage the blessed hope of immortality 
which every true Christian entertains. In the death of Christ 
we behold the only acceptable and sufficient sacrifice for sin 5 
and by his resurrection from the dead, we are furnished with 
an infallible proof that he is the Son of God, and the Saviour 
of perishing sinners, combining in his mysteriously glorious 
person, all the attributes necessary to enable him to save them 
to the uttermost, that believe in him. But the Christian is 
enabled to look forward beyond the grave, and rejoice in hope 
of the final deliverence of the body from the bondage of corrup- 
tion. In the resurrection of his blessed Lord he beholds the 
pledge and the pattern of his own. 

He knows, it is true, that although this mortal body must 
for a while be the captive of the tomb, yet he has the fullest 
assurance that when the period appointed for its deliverance 
shall have arrived, it will burst from its confinement, and rise 
to glory, honour, and immortality. In confident expectation 
of a triumphant resurrection from the grave, and the transfor- 
mation of his body to the likeness of his exalted Redeemer, he 
can say with the apostle, " For our conversation is in heaven, 
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus 
Christ : who shall change our vile body, that it may be fash- 
ioned like unto his own glorious body, according to the working 



THE RESURRECTION OP CHRIST. 263 

whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.' 1 
Phil. iii. 20-21. True, "it doth not yet appear what we shall 
be : but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like 
him, for we shall see him as he is." 1 John iii. 2. Then will 
all suffering, pain, and disease be ended, and the soul and body, 
which have been companions in the kingdom and patience of 
Jesus while on earth, shall be re-united, never more to be 
separated, and translated to a region of pure and holy pleasure, 
enjoy in communion with the heavenly hosts the fullness of 
eternal blessedness. 

" Thrice blessed, bliss-inspiring hope !" 

If such, my brethren, be the high destination of man, 
through the merits of our crucified and risen Lord, it ought 
surely to incite us to a holy diligence, that we may be found 
at his coming, without spot and blameless. And oh ! if these 
bodies are destined to a life of immortality, shall we ever, by 
neglecting the salvation of our souls, yield our members as 
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin ? Nay, rather let us 
be careful now to yield ourselves unto God as those that are 
alive from the dead ; that being raised up, and made free from 
sin, we may have our fruit unto holiness, and hereafter enjoy 
a glorious resurrection to an immortality of bliss in the ever- 
lasting kingdom of our exalted Redeemer. 

Observe, too, there shall be a resurrection not only of the 
just, but also of the unjust. The wicked also shall arise, and 
however ardently they may wish to remain concealed in the 
grave of eternal oblivion, the loud sounding trumpet will call 
them forth from their sleep in the dust. But with what body 
shall they come ? Ah ! each shall come with his own body ; 
and those guilty associates in sin shall be joined in eternal 
union, to complete each other's misery. They shall be raised 
incorruptible, but that incorruptibility will only render them 



&®4 THE HESUERECTION OP CHRIST. 

capable of an eternity of sorrow. They shall be raised to 
immortality, but it will be immortality of un mingled woe. 
Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake 
to shame and everlasting contempt. Covered with all the guilt 
of ten thousand unpardoned crimes, they shall appear in the 
morning of the resurrection, and from the mouth of the righte- 
ous Judge receive their fearful and unalterable doom. 

Seeing, then, that we expect suck things, what manner of 
persons ought we to be? The present brief and precarious 
state of existence gives character to a changeless futurity, and 
will decide the question, whether we shall arise to everlasting 
iife and honour, or whether we shall come forth from our graves 
to shame and everlasting contempt. The only means by which 
we can escape the latter and insure the former, is to seek to be 
raised from our spiritual death in trespasses and sins, by 
accepting now of the Saviour's grace ; and thus having had a 
part in this resurrection to holiness of heart and life, we shall 
be saved forever from the power of the second death. 

Oh may we all be raised up to newness of life, by the quick- 
ening Spirit ; and being kept alive by him who is our Living 
Head, may we at last be caught up together to meet the Lord 
in the air, and so be ever with the Lord, for the Redeemer's 
sake. Amen I 



SERMON XVI. 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 



Declared to be the Son op God with power, according to the 
spirit of holiness, Br the resurrection from the dead. 



Komans i. 4, 



The history of the Redeemer's life is one unbroken series of 
miraculous events, and in tracing that history from the very 
morning of creation, when the Saviour was promised to the 
fallen pair, through the different stages of his mediatorial 
existence, until his last and triumphant flight to heaven, we 
find our attention directed to scenes of an altogether unearthly 
aspect. If we are disposed to ask for evidence to satisfy us 
of the Divine nature of the Saviour, the artless simplicity of 
the evangelical record of his life is sufficient to extort from even 
the most incredulous, as the events of his crucifixion did from 
the Roman centurion, " Truly this was the Son of God." 

Even the celebrated French infidel, Rosseau, speaking of 
the Gospel, says, " Can he who is the subject of its history be 
himself a mere man ?" Was his the tone of an enthusiast or 
an ambitious sectarian ? What sweetness ! What purity in 
his manners! What an affecting gracefulness in his instruc- 
tions ! What sublimity in his maxims ! What profound 



266 THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUK. 

wisdom in his discourses ! What presence of mind ! What 
sagacity and propriety in his answers ! How great the com- 
mand over his passions ! Where is the man, where is the 
philosopher who could so live, suffer and die, without weakness 
and without ostentation ? When Plato described his imagi- 
nary good man, covered with all the disgrace of crime, yet 
worthy of all the rewards of virtue, he described exactly the 
character of Jesus Christ. The resemblance was so striking, 
it could not be mistaken, and all the fathers of the Church 
perceived it. What prepossession, what blindness must it be 
to compare the son of Sophronius with the son of Mary 1 
What an immeasurable distance between them ! But from 
whom of all his countrymen could Jesus have derived that 
sublime and pure morality of which he only has given us both 
the precepts and example ? In the midst of the most licentious 
fanaticism, the voice of the sublimest wisdom was heard, and 
the simplicity of the most heroic virtue crowned one of the 
humblest of all the multitude. The death of Socrates, peace- 
ably philosophising with his friends, was the most pleasant that 
could be desired. That of Jesus, expiring in torments, out- 
raged, execrated, and reviled by a whole nation, was the most 
horrible that could be feared. Socrates in receiving the cup 
of poison blessed the weeping executioner who presented it ; 
but Jesus, in the midst of excruciating torture, prayed for his 
merciless tormentors. Yes! if the life and death of Socrates 
were those of a sage, the life and death of Jesus were those of 
a God. 

The period of his advent to our earth was attended with 
some of the most remarkable occurrences that mortals had ever 
witnessed. A company of angels was sent to bear to mankind 
the tidings of his incarnation. His early appearance in the 
temple among the doctors of the law, and his extraordinary 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 267 

■wisdom excited their astonishment and wonder. His conse- 
cration to the priestly office by his baptism at the river Jordan 
was attested by a miraculous manifestation from heaven. And 
the whole period of his public ministry was crowded with events 
which proved him to be a person of unearthly origin. The 
lessons of heavenly wisdom which he taught, elicited from his 
admiring auditors the spontaneous response, "Never man 
spake like this man." John vii. 47. " And all bare him 
witness, and wondered at the gracious words which pro- 
ceeded out of his mouth." Luke iv. 22. He claimed the 
supreme dominion over all nature, and showed its entire sub- 
jection to his control, by performing works which compelled 
even his enemies to admit that he possessed a power superior 
to that which belongs to a mere man. But follow him further 
still, and mark the astonishing events which transpired at his 
death, and then behold him bursting the barriers of the tomb, 
to appear again for a little time upon the very scene of his 
former labours, and you may find in all these circumstances 
connected with his life, the reasons why the apostle asserts, as 
he does in the confident language of the text, that Jesus 
Christ our Lord is " declared," or proved, " to be the Son of 
God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the 
resurrection from the dead." 

The subjects which these words present for our considera- 
tion are — 

I. The Divine Nature of Christ. 

II. The manner in which his Divinity, and consequently his 
Messiahship, has been proved and established. 

I. The divine nature of our Saviour. He is called the Son 
of God. In entering upon the discussion of this subject, we 
are forcibly reminded of the declaration of the great apostle 
to the Gentiles, "Without controversy, great is the mystery 



%bb THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 

,of godliness : God was manifest in the flesh." 1 Tim, 
iii. 16. The incarnation of the Divine Nature is a truth 
most clearly revealed in the Gospel, although the union in 
one person of two natures so dissimilar, is a subject which 
involves a mystery too profound to be fully understood by 
the human mind. Even the inspired apostle himself could 
but declare that such was the fact, " God was manifest in the 
flesh ;" but how that union was effected, as it subsisted in the 
person of Jesus Christ, he did not attempt to explain. But the 
phraseology employed in the text directs our attention to a 
subject still higher, and more incomprehensible, if possible, 
than even the great mystery of the manifestation of God in 
the likeness of man. The apostle here says that Jesus Christ 
our Lord is declared to be, not simply God, but the Son of 
God. This title, by which our Saviour is here called, is under- 
stood by some as referring to his human nature, so called to 
distinguish him from the ordinary descendants of mankind. 
There is, however, direct testimony in both the Old and New 
Testaments to prove, that this title does not apply to his human 
nature, not even in that significant sense in which it is some- 
times taken ; nor can we apply it to the humanity of Christ, 
without spoiling the harmony of the Sacred Oracles. Let us 
suppose for a moment, that the title (l Son of God" applies to 
the human nature of Christ, and what are the consequences 
which this interpretation involves in respect to the doctrine 
of the Trinity ? We learn from the Scriptures that there are 
three persons in the Godhead, viz., the Father, the Son, and 
the Holy Ghost, each equal to the other in eternity of exist- 
ence, power and glory, and these three are one. The Father 
is not the Son, nor is the Son the Father, neither is the Holy 
Ghost the Father, nor the Son ; and yet the Father is God, 
the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. The doctrine of 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SATIODR. 269 

the Trinity of persons in the Godhead is clearly taught both in 
the form of baptism, and in the apostolic benediction, and the 
very same passages of Scripture furnish a strong evidence of 
the equality of these three persons, and of the unity of their 
existence. 

Now let us remember the title Son is applied to the second 
person of the Trinity, the very title which is here applied to 
Jesas Christ. 

If then we suppose he is called the Son of God as descriptive 
of his human nature, we are forced to a conclusion which is 
absurd in the highest degree. If the Son be one of the per- 
sons in the Godhead, and if the human nature of Jesus Christ 
be the Son of God, then is the human nature of Christ one of 
the persons in the Trinity. And as these three persons are 
each divine, therefore the humanity of Christ is divine. But 
this argument may be given in another form, thus : 

The Son, the second person in the Trinity is really and 
truly God. 

But the human nature of Christ is called the Son : 

Therefore, the human nature of Christ is God. 

Nor is this the only absurdity which the doctrine of the 
Sonship of the human nature of Christ involves. It not only 
makes a man one of the persons in the Godhead, but it also 
very materially affects the immutability of the Divine Nature. 
For the Divine Being existed previously to the Son, if by the 
Son we are to understand the humanity of Christ ; and conse- 
quently, there was a time when there was no Trinity of persons 
in the Godhead; for the Trinity consists of Father, Son, and 
Holy Ghost. There must then of necessity have taken place, 
a change in the Divine Nature, when it became a Trinity of 
persons at the period of the incarnation of the Deity. But we 



270 THE DIGNITY OP THE SAVIOUR. 

are informed that the Divine Nature is incapable of change, 
without "variableness neither shadow of turning;" " the same 
yesterday, and to-day, and forever." 

The doctrine of the Sonship of the Divine nature of Christ, 
not only obviates these difficulties, or is free from these absurd- 
ities, but it is also in perfect harmony with the testimonies of 
Inspiration, which should always be the man of our counsel. 
And however mysterious or incomprehensible it may appear to 
us, yet if we find it clearly taught in the Sacred Writings, it 
should be received with unhesitating confidence, though we may 
not be able fully to comprehend its unsearchable mystery. We 
shall refer you but to one or two passages of Scripture, in 
which the doctrine of the Divine, or eternal Sonship of Christ 
is unequivocally declared. The Apostle John says, " The 
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of 
devil." 1 John iii. 8. And again : " For what the law could 
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his 
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned 
sin in the flesh." Rom. viii. 3. In these passages we can 
understand the title, Son of God, in no other sense than as 
applying to the Divine Nature of Christ. For they declare, 
not that the flesh was the Son of God, but the Son of God, 
dwelling in the flesh, and thus made manifest, or visible to 
mankind. It was not this manifestation, or the human nature, 
that destroyed the works of the devil ; but the Son of God 
who was thus made manifest. But again : John says, " Truly 
our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus 
Christ." 

Now, this cannot possibly be applied to the human nature 
of Christ. For this was written long after his ascension into 
heaven, and his intercourse with his disciples had ceased. 
Their fellowship was of a spiritual nature ; it was not his 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 271 

bodily, but his spiritual presence, by bis Divine nature they 
held communion with him. It is in this sense the apostle here 
calls him the Son of God. And it is very evident that the 
Jews understood this title, as referring to his Divine, and not 
to his human nature ; for on more than one occasion he 
excited their fiercest displeasure by calling himself the Son of 
God, thereby making himself equal with God. 

Tt is true, some suppose that the Divine or eternal Sonship 
of Christ is a contradiction of terms, and contrary to reason. 
It is, however, neither contradictory nor unreasonable. It is 
one of those mysteries which belong to the incomprehensible 
Supreme ; the fact of which is revealed, but the manner of its 
existence is not explained to us ; nor will it ever be, until 
finite man is able to comprehend the infinite God. Nor is it 
more difficult for us to receive the doctrine of the eternal Son- 
ship of Christ, than that of the eternity, omniscience, or omni- 
presence of the Father. Neither is it contrary to reason, but 
both are above the reach of the intellectual powers of man. 
And, until we are able to soar above all height, and compre- 
hend the Eternal Mind, we are incapable of judging of the 
nature of a mysterious truth, which Infinite Wisdom has 
seen proper to reveal. 

II. The second part of this subject leads us to consider the 
manner in which the divinity of Christ has been set forth or 
declared. The apostle here says, it was " declared," marked 
out, or clearly defined, as the original word signifies, "with 
power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection 
from the dead." 

Whatever interpretations may have been given of this 
passage by different persons, there is one sense in which it is 
to be understood, which cannot be disputed. It does undoubt- 
edly teach the important truth, that the resurrection of Christ 



272 THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUE. 

from the dead establishes, or proves the Divinity of his Nature, 
and most fully invests him with all the attributes of the 
character which he professed to bear. 

His resurrection then is to be viewed as a declaration of his 
divinity, or the seal of heaven of his Messiahship. It is true 
that the resurrection of his human body from the grave, sim- 
ply considered, cannot be regarded as an incontestible proof of 
his divinity, especially as we are informed that his resurrection 
is not the only one that has ever taken place. It is, indeed, 
the only one of the kind, and, when considered in connection 
with its attendant circumstances, it furnishes undeniable evi- 
dence of his Supreme Divinity. It must be remembered, in 
order to a proper understanding of this subject, that the 
Saviour died upon the cross, not merely as a willing victim of 
sacrifice to atone for our sins ; but also, as a martyr to the 
truths which he taught, and more especially, to the character 
he claimed for himself. In this light, his death was regarded 
by his own unbelieving countrymen. The prophet Isaiah says, 
that they, his own nation, did not understand the purpose of 
the Messiah's sufferings ; for when he was bearing our griefs, 
and carrying our sorrows, "we did esteem him stricken, smitten 
of God, and afflicted." Even when he was bearing in his own 
body the punishment due to our sins, we regarded him as an 
object of the Divine displeasure, and suffering for his own 
transgressions, Isaiah liii. 4>. The crimes with which he was 
charged, and under the pretence of which he was crucified, 
were blasphemy and imposture ; for claiming the character of 
the predicted [Messiah, and for making himself equal with 
God; or rather, making himself God. The miracles he had 
wrought, had not only failed to convince his enemies, but had 
even tended to excite their malice and ingenuity to devise 
means to procure his condemnation and death. A mock trial 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR, 273 

was instituted, and the charges preferred were proved, not by 
credible witnesses, but by the vociferations of an excited 
populace, and under the semblance of justice, he was doomed 
to die as a malefactor, guilty of a capital offence. Now, his 
resurrection from the dead, did not merely falsify the charges 
under which he suffered, and prove his innocence ; it was also 
a fulfillment of his own predictions, and a demonstration that 
as God, and King of universal nature, neither the chains of 
death, nor the strong barriers of the tomb could withstand his 
almighty power. The triumph of the tyrant of the grave, over 
the body of the Saviour was but short. Scarcely had he 
seized his prey and began to celebrate his mighty achievement, 
than the prize of his victory is wrested from his grasp by the 
omnipotent arm of the universal Conquerer. A sealed and 
well guarded sepulchre could oppose no effectual resistance to 
his progress. He marched in triumph through the dominions 
of the king of terrors, and, having spoiled principalities and 
powers, he appeared again amidst the very scenes of his for- 
mer labour and suffering. Hence we are to regard his 
resurrection not merely as the pattern and pledge of ours, 
but also as the incontestible evidence, or the demonstration of 
his real divinity and Messiahship. In this light the resurrec- 
tion of Christ is viewed by the apostle Paul, when he says, 
Christ "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for 
our justification :" That is, by his resurrection we are furnished 
with the most satisfactory proof that he is the Son of God, 
and the Saviour of mankind, and we are thus enabled to exer- 
cise that faith in him which justifies the ungodly. 

But our attention is here directed, not merely to the simple 
fact of his resurrection, but also to the signs and wonders with 
which that important event was connected. This declaration 
of his divinity was accompanied with the most significant 

N-2 



274 THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 

manifestations of his almighty power. Nor need we refer to 
the numerous miracles he performed during his public ministry 
for facts to illustrate the text. Let us go, for a moment, and 
contemplate the scenes which transpired in immediate connec- 
tion with the closing period of his mediatorial work on earth. 
Mark attentively the wonderful tokens of some unearthly 
transaction which occurred at the time of his crucifixion. 
Nature spoke, and gave her testimony to his power. The 
rending vail of the temple, and the quaking rocks, and the 
opened graves proclaimed his universal sovereignty over nature, 
grace, and the invisible world. So significant were the displays 
of his power amidst these awful scenes, that the centurion and 
those who were watching at his cross, were compelled, as if by 
an impulse they could not resist, to confess, " Truly, this 
was the Son of God ;" and thus to counteract the very pur- 
pose they were appointed to uphold. 

Even when to all human appearance the efforts of his enemies 
to prove him a deceiver had completely succeeded, his almighty 
power was so triumphantly displayed as to carry terror to the 
very hearts of his adversaries. But mark further, what trans- 
pired when he rose from the grave. He rose not alone. His 
resurrection power was felt by many who had long been sleep- 
ing in the dust. Death was led captive by the conquering 
Redeemer, and from the dominions of the king of terrors he 
brought forth the witnesses of his life-giving power. His voice 
was heard in graves undisturbed by long repose, and at his 
bidding the bodies of many of the saints re-appeared amidst 
the scenes of their former life, to testify that he was indeed 
the resurrection and the life. 

There is another manifestation of his power, in connexion 
with his resurrection, which is, perhaps, but seldom noticed, 
though it affords a very striking proof of his absolute dominion 
over the hearts of men. 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 275 

It must be remembered that the death of Christ was not 
that of an obscure individual, by the hand of the midnight 
assassin. It was the death of one who had become famous for 
his public deeds ; and it was accomplished under the sanction, 
and by the command of the highest civil authority of the 
nation. He died as a malefactor, charged with crimes which, 
according to the laws, required the sacrifice of life. The 
majesty of the law, and the honour of the government were 
concerned in his case. More than this, the purposes of covet- 
ous and aspiring men were also intimately connected with the 
death of Christ, and to the chief priests and Pharisees especially 
this was an object of the most intense interest. They accord- 
ingly took every precaution, and employed every possible means 
to secure the object of their desire, viz : the entire overthrow 
of the Saviour's cause. Why, then, was it, that after his 
resurrection, no attempt was ever made to arrest him a second 
time? They knew that he was alive again. The soldiers 
who were set to guard his sepulchre had assured them 
of this ; they could not but have known that he was, 
as formerly, associating with lis disciples. Yet, no effort 
was made to seize him again and put him to death. 

He continued on earth for the space of forty days, in the very 
midst of his enemies and murderers, and although but a few 
days before he had been the object of national interest, and of 
judicial proceedings, now that he is risen from the deaii he 
continues to perform without opposition or harm the work he 
came to accomplish. Why was he not immediately seized and 
dragged to the cross by his enemies, who were still reeking in 
his blood ? It was because their day of guilty triumph was 
past, and the omnipotent arm of the Almighty Saviour held 
them in check. Thus, by the exercise of his power, he declared 
his supreme divinity and, the absolute sway which he, as Lord 



276 THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 

of all, exercises over all mankind. The wrath of man was 
restrained. Since his resurrection from the dead covered his 
enemies with shame and the deepest disgrace, in witnessing 
the entire defeat of their cause, we might have supposed they 
would have been driven to desperation, and to a more deter- 
mined effort to secure his death. Yet with every inducement 
to make a second attempt, to sustain the dignity of their highest 
tribunal, to vindicate their own characters, and to secure the 
triumph of their own cause over that of Christ, not even a 
voice was raised against him ; the clamorous rabble are silent ; 
the council that was convened immediately after the report of 
his resurrection, did not even discuss the propriety of sending 
a band of soldiers to bring him again before the judgment 
seat. Why this silence? Why did they then quietly submit 
to suffer the disgrace of so signal a defeat ? There was an 
invisible power which they could not resist, and although their 
honour and interest were involved, they were compelled to 
submit to their fate, and Jesus in triumph walks unmolested 
in the very midst of those who but a few days before were 
sporting themselves with his dying sufferings. Surely in all 
this there was a manifestation of power that declared most 
distinctly the divinity of the Saviour. 

We may notice further, the wonderful effects that followed 
the event of his resurrection. The memorable scenes at Pente- 
cost} and the subsequent rapid spread and triumphs of the 
Gospel, displayed the divinity and almighty powe^r of its author. 
What but the might of Him who rules the hosts of heaven, and 
holds the powers of hell in chains, could have produced such 
astonishing effects by the use of means, or instruments, appar- 
ently so inadequate to the task ? Twelve men contended 
against the combined hostility of earth and hell I 

Twelve obscure and unlearned men were employed to over- 



THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUK. 277 

throw the religion of empires, and to attack and uproot the 
superstitions of a long succession of ages. How preposterous 
the enterprise — they succeeded ! Nay more, they triumphed. 
Idols fell from their seats ; thrones trembled at their ap- 
proach, and empires were shaken to their very centre. 
* The wilderness and the solitary place" were " glad for them, 
and the desert" rejoiced and blossomed '* as the rose." The 
streams of salvation fertilized the moral wastes, and transformed 
them from the dreariness of a wintry desolation to the bloom- 
ing beauty of a perpetual spring. Here then was a manifesta- 
tion of power which attested that Jesus was indeed the Son of 
God. And every subsequent age of the Gospel dispensation 
has been marked with similar evidences of the Sonship or the 
divinity of Christ. And why is it that in this our day, through 
the preaching of the Gospel, sinners are awakened from their 
guilty slumbers and saved from their sins ? It is because he 
who was dead lives again, and is exalted a prince and a Saviour, 
with power to save his people' from their sins. Whenever we 
witness the conversion of a sinner from the error of his ways, 
or the final salvation of a believer, there we have a declaration 
of the divinity of Him who is the foundation of our hope of 
salvation— a declaration which has been repeated, and is con- 
tinuing to be repeated in the wide-spreading, and multiplying 
triumphs of the Redeemer's Cross. Onwards still shall these 
triumphs continue to roll, until the earth shall be encircled 
with the universal anthem ; " Hallelujah, the Lord God omni- 
potent reigneth !" 

"According to the spirit of holiness." By this we are 
doubtless to understand, that all the events connected with 
the incarnation of the Son of God took place according to the 
predictions made by the prophets under the inspiration of the 
Holy Ghost. They had foretold not only his coming, but also 



278 THE DIGNITY OF THE SAVIOUR. 

the wonderful works he would perform. The miracles which 
he wrought, while they declared his divine power, were at 
the same time a fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the 
Messiah ; thus affording the strongest evidence of his divinity. 
In him every prophetic enunciation of the Holy Spirit received 
its accomplishment. Hence the declaration, that he is the Son 
of God, with the demonstrations of his power, as seen in the 
mighty works he performed ; and all in exact accordance with 
the revelations of the Spirit of Holiness, which foretold these 
works, and by whose agency they were performed. 

Under these circumstances, this Saviour is set forth as the 
object of our faith, and the only foundation of our hope of 
salvation. " Believe" on Him, and " thou shalt be saved." 
Build on this foundation, and thou shalt never be con- 
founded. 



SERMON N XVII, 



PAUL'S SERMON BEFORE FELIX. 



AnD AS HE REASONED OP RIGHTEOUSNESS, TEMPERANCE, AND JUDGH 
MENT TO COME, FELIX TREMBLED. 

Acts xxiv. 25. 



Perhaps no man was ever more happily successful in the 
selection of his subject than was the apostle Paul, when he 
preached before Felix. So far was he from shrinking from 
the profession of his faith in the presence of the governor of 
Judea, and those of his court, by whom he was surrounded, 
that he boldly proclaims the doctrines of Christianity, and 
dwells at length upon three principal topics which had a special 
application to the character of Felix, the judge before whom 
he then stood arraigned upon an accusation of sedition and 
heresy. Conscious of his own innocence, and fully aware of 
the malicious designs of his accusers, he was nothing intimi- 
dated from the open avowal of his faith in Christ, by the 
circumstances of apparent danger in which he Was placed. 
On the contrary, he seemed rather to gather fresh courage 
from the very position he occupied, and all the powers of his 
giant mind were called into action in the discussion of subjects 
which he knew from their very nature must have a special 



280 Paul's sermon before pelix. 

influence upon Felix, and would either excite his displeasure, 
or alarm and terrify his guilty soul. So fully was the apostle 
impressed with the grandeur of his mission, and the glorious 
truths he was called to preach, that he forgot the majesty of 
Felix, ft ay he did more. • He made even the governor forget 
himself, and feel as though he were a criminal at the bar, 
instead of a judge upon the throne. He made him receive 
admonition with reverence, while " he reasoned of righteous- 
ness, temperance, and judgment to come ; and the overwhelm- 
ing impression he felt of the awful importance of these subjects 
raised him far above the peculiar circumstances in which he 
was placed, and rendered him insensible to the emotions of 
fear and shame, or a desire for human applause. Standing 
before Felix and Drusilla, he preached upon '' righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to come." Felix was covetous, 
luxurious, and governor of Judea, and Paul selected three 
subjects corresponding to these characteristics. In reasoning 
upon righteousness, he showed the meanness of his avaricious 
desires. Upon temperance, he showed its debasing and ruinous 
effects ; and addressing the governor of Judea, as one of those 
persons who are apt to think themselves responsible to none, 
he treated of that higher tribunal to which all are held 
accountable. 
We have here — 

I. The subjects of the apostle's preaching before Felix ; viz.: 
Righteousness, Temperance, and a Judgment to come. 

II. The effect produced by his sermon : Felix trembled. 

I. The first topic of the apostle's discourse was righteous- 
ness. It is said in the verse preceding the text, that Felix 
sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 
The doctrines of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God ever 
formed the subject of his ministry; wherever he went, Christ 



Paul's sermon before felix. 281 

crucified was the end of his conversation ; and in the discussion 
of the doctrines of salvation through faith in Christ, the sub- 
ject of righteousness would, of necessity, come under conside- 
ration, and he would be led to view it both in reference. to the 
character of God, and its manifestation in the economy of his 
moral government, and also in its application to man, as fur- 
nishing him with the rules by which he is required to be 
governed in all his actions. In reasoning upon this subject, 
he had an ample range for the full exercise of all the powers 
of his mighty mind. He might have shown, as no doubt he 
did, the righteousness or justice of God, as that attribute of 
the Divine nature is most strikingly displayed in the history 
of the world, but more especially so in the stupendous and 
amazing scheme of human redemption. There might be seen 
an unequivocal manifestation of the justice of God, and a most 
solemn declaration that no one of the regulations of his moral 
government can be infringed with impunity, and that not a 
single claim of his righteous law can either be relinquished or 
lowered in its demands. The doctrine of Christ crucified 
furnished him with the most impressive and incontestible 
evidence, that the Divine Being will never swerve from those 
principles of righteousness upon which his moral government 
is based ; that he will not suffer those principles to be violated 
without most rigorously exacting a sufficient atonement. He 
might show, too, that when man had transgressed the law of 
God, no less a sacrifice than the only begotten Son of God was 
sufficient to meet the demands of justice, and to save the 
guilty transgressor from suffering the penalty of his crime. 

Now, reasoning from this display of the righteousness of 
God, he might infer that, as He is " holy in all his ways, and 
righteous in all his works," he will be equally strict in requir- 
ing of all his creatures to be governed by the same : that he 



282 PAUL'S SERMON BEFORE FELIX. 

does most certainly enjoin upon all mankind the most rigid 
observance of all his righteous and holy commandments; and 
in treating upon righteousness as the rule of human actions, 
he brought his subject to a practical bearing upon the conduct 
of his imperial auditor, and compelled him to hear truths, 
which contained, not only severe reproof of his past misdeeds, 
but also taught him what he might expect would be the future 
consequences of his conduct, should he persist in his course of 
iniquity. Here he might have taught him that the laws of 
God require. princes and rulers to be just, and rule in the fear 
of God ; that governors are to regard the interests of their 
people; to administer equal justice to all; to maintain the 
rights of the widow and the orphan ; and that in all their 
actions, they are to be influenced by the purest motives, and 
guided by the strictest integrity. Here, too, he might enforce 
that rule which is laid down by both the law and the prophets : 
" Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
even so to them." In reasoning upon righteousness, he might 
also have shown, that however the wicked may seem to pros- 
per for a time, and to escape a just retribution for their crimes ; 
yet, that injustice will most certainly, at the last, meet with its 
appropriate reward ; and that however much men may suppose 
they gain by fraud, or violence, the day of calamitous visita- 
tion will finally overtake them. 

But further, in treating upon this subject, he might have 
dwelt upon the doctrine of man's depravity, and preached to 
Felix that every man is guilty in the sight of God, under the 
sentence of condemnation, and exposed to eternal misery and 
hell, and that he must obtain forgiveness through faith in 
Christ, and be justified, or made righteous before God, 
abstain from all appearances of evil, and lead a hoiy life in 
all godliness and honesty, or else be punished with the bitter 
pains of eternal death. 



faul's SERMON BEFORE FELIX. 283 

II. The second topic of his discourse was temperance. He 
reasoned upon temperance ; and we may very naturally suppose 
that in treating upon this subject he would show the degrading, 
and ruinous effects of a licentious indulgence ; how infinitely 
it is beneath the dignity of an intelligent and rational being, 
and especially of one placed in a highly important and honour- 
able situation, to yield himself up to the dominion of the basest 
passions, and thus to degrade himself below the level of the 
brutes, and render himself unworthy the name of a man. He 
would demonstrate its effects, and show how intemperance 
blasts the brightest earthly prospects, and casts a foul stain 
upon the once fair character of those who yield themselves up 
to its influence; how it renders the strongest minds incapable 
of intelligent reflection ; weakens and destroys the understand- 
ing, perverts the heart, produces disease, temporal misery, 
and discord in society ; how it destroys the health, and ruins 
the soul. 

He might show Felix that his intemperate lust for ungodly 
gain would, if indulged, prove his ruin ; that to the same cause 
might be attributed the vast majority of the evils that afflicted 
the human family; the contentions and wars being mostly 
caused by the intemperate desire for power, fame, or riches. 
He might show the certain consequences of intemperance 
even when considered in its physical effects, or as the mere 
violation of the laws of man's nature, and prove conclusively 
that all irregularities, and the gratification of unlawful desires, 
must of necessity prove injurious in the end, and that the inor- 
dinate pursuit of present pleasures cannot be purchased but at 
the alarming price of future pain and bitter remorse. 

But in reasoning on temperance, he has, no doubt, appealed 
to the authority of the word of Grod, and set forth in the most 
forcible manner the requirements of the unerring rule of 



284 PAUL'S SERMON BEFORE FELIX. 

human conduct. By this he would lay an axe at the very root 
of this evil, and show that the Gospel prohibits not only the 
unrestrained indulgence of our appetites and propensities, 
but it even forbids the cherishing of an impure desire, enjoins 
the mortification of the lusts of the flesh, and the practice of 
the most rigid self-denial. From this standard he might also 
show that we are forbidden to desire or seek the things of this 
world, excepting so far as they can be rendered subservient to 
the great purpose of our being, the present and everlasting 
salvation of the soul ; and that if we suffer ourselves to be 
governed by an all-absorbing concern for worldly pleasures 
and riches, we will most certainly fall into many foolish and 
hurtful snares, and receive as the only permanent reward of 
our labour, a miserable perdition of everlasting sorrows. 

III. The last subject of his sermon was a "judgment to 
come." And here the overwhelming eloquence of the apostle 
borrowed its inspiration from the awful grandeur and solem- 
nity of his theme, and made him forgetful of everything but 
the great work to which he was called, 

He reasoned upon a judgment to come. He would prove 
the necessity of a future judgment, both for the purpose of 
developing the mysteries of Divine Providence, and justifying 
the ways of God with man. He might argue the necessity 
of a future judgment from the very circumstances in which 
he was then placed, to vindicate his own innocence, and to 
bring to light the dark and murderous designs of his accu- 
sers. 

He not only reasoned upon the necessity of a judgment to 
come, but he also proved the certainty of such an event, from 
the infallible declarations of the Word of God, which assure 
us that he hath appointed' a day in- which he will judge the 
world in righteousness, and render to each according to his 
works, whether good or bad. 



paul's sermon before felix. 285 

In reasoning upon a judgment to come, we may very reason- 
ably suppose that he described its solemn grandeur and its 
important results. He spoke of the end of time, the sound- 
ing of the Great Archangel's trumpet, and the dead, small 
and great, rising from their sleep in the dust, and advancing 
from every quarter to the scene of their final trial, to hear from 
the Supreme Judge the sentence of their everlasting destiny. 

There would be found the rich man and Lazarus ; kings 
and subjects ; Felix, the favourite of Caesar, and Paul the 
prisoner of Felix ; but they would be found there without any 
of those names, titles, or distinctions by which they were 
known on earth, and which often concealed their true character. 
There every man would receive his proper reward, according 
to a just estimate of his moral worth. 

He reasoned of a judgment to come, of a day of trial, when 
not only the actions of all mankind shall come under review, 
but even the secrets of the hearts shall be published to an 
assembled and listening world. He would also doubtlessly 
show, that in the decisions of that awful day, many will be 
most fearfully disappointed ; many who suppose from the pros- 
perity they enjoyed in this world, that they were the favourites 
of God, and secure of heaven, will be surprised, beyond mea- 
sure, to find themselves placed at the left hand, doomed to the 
miseries of a lost eternity. They said " Lord 1 Lord !" on 
earth, and perhaps had the outward form of godliness ; but 
notwithstanding all their profession, when weighed in the bal- 
ance, they are found wanting. I could we have listened to 
this great apostle, while dwelling upon this awful subject, we 
might have heard him describing the events of that day, and 
in the most glowing language portraying to our view, the dead, 
rising at the trumpet's call ; the Judge descending, accompanied 
with myriads of the hosts of heaven ; the opening of the books ; 



286 Paul's sermon eefore felix., 

the joy of the righteous ; the terror and alarm of the wicked ; 
kings and mighty men, and chief captains, and bondmen, and 
freemen, saying to the " mountains and rocks, Fall on us and 
hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and 
from the wrath of the Lamb:" the judgment closing, the 
righteous marching up to glory, and the wicked sent away 
into everlasting punishment. 

These were some of the subjects upon which he dwelt in his 
sermon before the governor of Judea. These truths he preached 
with such boldness, even in the face of danger, and with an 
eloquence so irresistibly powerful, as to alarm the governor, 
and fill him with the most fearful apprehensions. 

II. Felix trembled. Here we are informed what was the 
effect of this sermon. Paul's word was " with power." 

How extraordinary the scene here described, and how unlike 
those we are accustomed to behold on sucji occasions ! Go 
with me for a little to yonder hall of justice, and what would 
you expect to witness? The tribunal set, the prisoner 
arraigned before the judge, and shivering with guilty fear, 
while the witnesses testify of his crimes, and complete the evi- 
dence of his guilt ! But behold the strange reverse. The 
prisoner arraigned for trial, with all the boldness which inno- 
cence and truth can inspire, stands in the presence of the 
judge, and fearlessly proclaims those very doctrines for which 
his accusers were seeking his condemnation, and reasons upon 
them with such clearness, and applies them to the conscience 
with such power, as to cause even the judge to tremble, and 
every accuser to stop his mouth in confusion and shame. Such 
was the scene that transpired when Paul was brought before 
Felix. While the apostle preached, Felix felt indescribable 
emotions of mind. The subjects of the sermon, the vivid recol- 
lection of his past iniquitous practices, now set in order before 



Paul's sermon before felix. 287 

his eyes ; his present sins, Drusilla, the object of his passion, 
and the object of his crime, and the courage of St. Paul, all 
tended to increase the terror of his guilty soul. His heart 
sunk within him, while that servant of Jesus Christ expounded 
and applied the truths of the Scriptures. The word of God 
which he preached was quick and powerful, and the apostle 
armed with this invincible weapon was more than a match for 
all his foes. Every stroke of this two-edged sword carried 
conviction to the heart. Every conclusion of the apostle's argu- 
ments served to deepen the conviction in the mind of Felix, 
until he is induced to request the prisoner to withdraw from 
his presence. Behold here, then, the majesty of innocence, and 
the meanness of guilt ! A governor and judge, surrounded by 
his court, trembling in the presence of a friendless prisoner at 
his bar, over whom he had the power of life and death. 

We shall find the reason of the fears of Felix in the subjects 
of the apostle's sermon, which, like a faithful mirror, gave him 
a correct and clear discovery of his own deformities, set his 
sins before him in the light of noon-day, and revealed the 
shameful secrets of his vice. It was not merely the boldness 
of Paul, his eloquence, or the conclusiveness and irresistible 
force of his arguments, that so affected Felix. He might have 
wrapped himself up in his coat of mail and remained invulner- 
able to all this. There was an invisible power attending the 
truths preached by the apostle, which he could not resist. 
That was the power of the Holy Ghost, and he was compelled 
to feel whether he would or not. It was the light of heaven, 
dispelling the darkness of his mind, which gave him a dis- 
covery of his true character. It was the living energy of 
Gospel truth applied to his conscience, that alarmed his fears, 
and made him tremble in view of the consequences of his con- 
duct from the retributions of a righteous Jehovah. 



288 Paul's sermon before felix. 

We are not going to sit in judgment upon Felix. His case, 
in common with all others, will come up in order at the proper 
tribunal. We may, however, remark that his fears were not 
groundless, nor did he tremble without a sufficient cause. It 
was no fiction of the imagination that terrified his soul ; but 
sober, tangible, and eternal realities. 

The requirements of God's righteous law had been enforced 
in his hearing ; that law which commands all to do justly, love 
mercy, and walk humbly with God ; and the doom of the 
unrighteous, had been most solemnly declared. He knew that 
he had lived in utter] disregard of all its requirements, and 
violated every principle of justice, and was even at that 
•moment retaining an innocent man in bondage, in hope of 
obtaining an unrighteous reward for his release. 

He had heard, too, in the apostle's sermon, the broad and 
strict demands of temperance discussed, nor did he find him- 
self less guilty in this respect. He had given a loose rein to 
every desire of his soul. He knew he had been guilty of sever- 
ing the most sacred ties, in order to gratify his intemperate 
ardour for sensual pleasures, and had given himself up to the - 
unrestrained dominion of all the evil propensities of his nature. 
Why, then, should he not feel when he hears a most vivid and 
alarming description of the meanness, the criminality, and the 
ruinous consequences, of his misconduct 1 

But above all, it was the idea of a judgment to come that 
supplied the lack of every other terrifying motive, and 
imparted a redoubled energy to those fears which, like the 
heavings of a Vesuvic eruption, were agitating his soul. O ! to 
have the history of his life of cruelty and shame published to 
an assembled universe, and to be seen by others as he saw him- 
self, was a thought which, even a conscience seared by a long 
course of crime, could not but feci was full of terror. But in 



PAUL'S SERMON BEFORE FELIX. 289 

addition to this, the certainty of receiving a just recompense 
of reward as the inevitable consequence of a life of sin, and to 
hear from the mouth of the judge the unalterable decision of 
that tribunal from which there will be no appeal, extinguished 
the last ray of his flattering hopes, and gave him the most fear- 
ful forebodings of the nature of his final doom. 

But, my friends, we do not preach from this subject merely 
for the purpose of commending the courage and faithfulness of 
Paul, or condemning the conduqt of Felix. With neither of 
these persons have we any concern, only so far as we can derive 
lessons of profitable instruction from their example. Our aim 
is to preach to you concerning the faith in Christ ; and iu 
preaching this doctrine, to enforce the claims and requirements 
of righteousness ; to incite you to the practice of that self 
denying temperance which the gospel enjoins, and to keep you 
in continual remembrance of the certainty of a future judg- 
ment. We may still reason upon the awful certainty of a 
judgment to come. And if in reasoning upon these subjects 
you sometimes feel as did Felix, yet are we not to hold our 
peace until you are persuaded to forsake your evil ways, and 
yield obedience to the laws of God. Do you feel disposed to 
complain when we condemn your vices, and interfere with your 
^peaceable enjoyment of unlawful pleasures? Consider the 
Apostle Paul. He is the model set before us. We are re- 
quired to speak with freedom and force ; to rebuke and exhort 
in season and out of season ; to proclaim the threatenings of 
Jehovah, and endeavour to disturb that fatal security which 
the sinner wishes to enjoy in the commission of crimes. We 
point you to the solemn realities of a judgment to come ; and 
beseech you by every argument and every motive, to be recon- 
ciled to God while he offers you the conditions of peace. May 
you all be prepared to meet him in judgment, and live with 
him in heaven, for the Redeemer's sake. Amen ! 
o 



SERMON XVIII 



THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 



GO THY WAY FOB THIS TIME ; WHEN I HAVE A CONVENIENT SEASON, 
I WILL CALL FOR THEE. 

Acts xriv. 25. 



Perhaps a more striking instance of the perverting influence, 
and the delusive nature, of sin cannot be found than the one 
recorded in the text. In these few words ef the text we have 
three grand mistakes, rising in absurdity one above the other 
in a regular climax, until arriving at the last, and most absurd 
and ruinous in its tendency of all, it. is rendered complete. 
Hence this subject may very properly be called the three-fold 
and fatal delusion. It is one not peculiar to Felix alone ; but 
one which is repeated, if not by the lips, yet more expres- 
sively still, in the conduct of every impenitent sinner who is 
delaying the work of repentance, with the supposed intention 
of performing it at some future period. 

I. The first error contained in these words of Felix, is the sup- 
position that he was certain of any other time than the present. 
" Go thy way for this time ;" implying that he would have other 
opportunities when he could consider this subject more fully, 
and attend to it at his leisure. This, perhaps, is one of the 



fHE THttEE-FOLD DELUSION 291 

most common errors of mankind. u All men think all men 
mortal but themselves." The present time is always with 
them regarded as an earnest, or a pledge, ot the future. They 
think because they are alive to day they will surely be so to- 
morrow. The language of their hearts, as well as of their con- 
duct is, u To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more 
abundant." The ten thousand evidences which continually 
unite their voices in testifying to them that human life is short 
at the longest, and uncertain in it continuance ; that so exceed- 
ingly frail is the tenement which contains the living spirit, 
that it is liable to be broken to shivers at any moment. Yet all 
this is not sufficient to convince them that the expectation of 
many days yet to come, which they entertain with so much con- 
fidence, is without any assurance from the Great Disposer of 
human life, who has appointed the bounds of their existence, 
which they cannot pass. They see many dying around them, 
some in the bloom of youth, and others in the full strength 
and vigour of manhood, suddenly removed from the height of 
activity in the busy scenes of life, to the careless repose of the 
grave. Although these events should convince them that in 
the midst of life they are in death ; yet they look upon these 
instances of the mortality of others as evidences of their own 
security from a like summons, rather than as certain tokens 
that they, too, may wither and fall by a blast equally as sudden 
and unexpected. If the necessity of an immediate attention 
to the concerns of the soul is impressed upon their minds, the 
deceitfulness of the heart suggests the flattering idea, that the 
tide of life is yet flowing on with as full and strong a current 
as ever, without a shadow, or the slightest symptoms of 
decrease ; and they say, ' c Go thy way for this time. We 
cannot think of breaking up all the associations we have 
formed, and relinquishing all at once our fond pursuits of 



292 THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

worldly pleasure, especially as we may retain them for a longer 
space without any serious risk, seeing that our prospects of 
many future opportunities are fair, and wear the aspect of 
almost absolute certainty." 

But where can any pledge be found to justify such expec- 
tations ? Surely not in the word of God. It everywhere 
teaches us the necessity of improving the present time if we 
would secure the great object of our life. It declares that now 
is the accepted time, and now is the day of salvation. It most 
solemnly cautions us against admitting into our calculations 
any future time, even what may appear to us so near, and so cer- 
tain as to-morrow. (t Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou 
knowest not what a day may bring forth." Prov. xxvii. 1. We 
are taught to look upon ourselves as mere tenants at will, who 
may be removed at the pleasure of the Great Proprietor, with- 
out a moment's previous warning. Hear what he himself 
says : tl Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord 
doth come. Therefore be ye also ready : for in such an hour 
as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matt. xxiv. 42, 44. 
That is, because I have not told you how early I may come, 
or how late I may tarry, and have given you no encourage- 
ment whatever to place any dependence upon any future time ; 
be ye always ready, always improving your time as though 
you were assured that everlasting consequences were involved 
in each moment of your earthly existence. How great then 
is the mistake implied in the request of Felix, " Go thy way 
for this time." How many who have repeated this saying, 
supposing themselves sure of other seasons of mercy, have had 
their golden dreams of future opportunities dissipated by the 
sudden and unexpected summons, '' This night thy soul shall 
be required of thee !" 

II. The second error involved in the text is founded upon 



THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 293 

the first, and rising above it in absurdity. He spoke as though 
he were certain of another time, and he supposed that some 
future time would be more favourable for this purpose than 
the present. Or in other words, he thought an uncertainty- 
better than a certainty. " When I have a convenient season," 
said he ; " the present is not a convenient season ; but I expect 
that such a season will come." Poor deluded Felix ! Equally 
the objects of compassion are you who are the infatuated fol- 
lowers of his example. You are risking an eternity of hea- 
venly glory upon the baseless fabric of your disordered 
vision : a convenient season. Let us now see whether there is, 
or will be, any convenient season for sinners to seek religion, 
or whether the idea be not a mere persuasion of the deceitful 
heart. 

We are continually the subjects of delusion, and perhaps in 
no respect more so, than from the sense of sight. We do not 
see the objects of nature by which we are surrounded, as they 
really are ; but according to the position they occupy we form 
more or less erroneous opinions concerning them. 

It is one of the laws of our vision, that objects near at hand 
appear large, or in full size, and they diminish in their apparent 
magnitude in proportion to the distance ; and hence the more 
remote the object, the smaller it appears to be, until at a certain 
distance everything diminishes to a point, and beyond which 
no objects can be seen. This is termed by artists, " the vanish- 
ing point." This, however, is all but a mere appearance and 
not reality. The ohjects which we see at a distance, and which 
seem to be quite small, may really be much larger than those 
near to us, and there may be objects beyond the reach of our 
vision of much greater magnitude than any we see. 

Now every person who is living without God in the world, 
sees everything in perspective; that is, the obstacles which 



294 THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

appear in the way of seeking religion now appear to be much 
greater than they will be at at any future time, and they 
diminish as he looks forward until he imagines he sees a period 
when every obstacle will be removed, or at least will become 
so insignificant as not to prevent him from obtaining salvation 
without any serious difficulty, and that time he thinks will be 
his convenient season, or it may be called in scientific language, 
the vanishing point in the range of the sinner's vision. The 
present is never a convenient season. He looks round and he 
sees insurmountable obstacles in the way of seeking religion 
now ; it is positively the most unfavourable time that the sub- 
ject could have been mentioned to him. The hurry of business, 
and the pressing wants of his family, and the claims of his 
friends upon his attention, all render it utterly impracticable 
for him to attend to this subject now. But he looks forward, 
and he thinks that no such obstacles will stand in his way at 
any future time. Every difficulty seems to him to diminish in 
proportion to its distance, and finally to vanish altogether. 
Thence from this delusive appearance he supposes that next 
week, next month, or next year, he will be able to seek religion 
without making any sacrifice of feeling or worldly interest. 
But this is all a gross delusion, nor will the period ever arrive 
which the sinner will regard as a convenient season to seek 
religion. He may think that six months hence there will be 
nothing to prevent, but when that time comes, he will find 
how much he is mistaken. So far from the obstacles lessening 
by delay, they will be continually increasing, and the conve- 
nient season, instead of drawing nearer, will every day appear 
at a greater distance. For example : let a person look before 
him as far as the eye can reach, and according to the law of 
vision, to which we have already referred, everything grows 
smaller in appearance, until the farthest limit of sight ends in 



THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 295 

a point, and he may suppose that all beyond is a perfect blank. 
But let him now advance towards that point, and the objects 
which at a distance appeared quite small, increase in magni- 
tude as he approaches them. New objects continually arise in 
his view, even where he supposed that nothing existed ; and 
proceed as far as he may, the point beyond which nothing was 
supposed to exist will be continually receding before him, nor 
will he ever be able to overtake it. It is just so with every 
person who waits for a convenient season in which to seek 
religion — he waits for an imaginary time which will never 
arrive. 

We may here inquire for a moment, what is necessary to 
render any season convenient ? We will suppose first that 
it is necessary there should be no obstacles in the way. 
The reason why the present is not convenient, is because 
everything is in the way. Not even the shadow -of an 
appearance would seem to justify the commencement of this 
work. 0, no, it is impossible to think of attending to it now. 
I am utterly unprepared to entertain even a serious thought of 
it at present. Should I seek religion now, it would blast all 
my worldly expectations. I wish to make a close bargain and 
get another farm. I intend to cheat some persons out of a few 
hundred pounds, or I am engaged in a profitable business which 
is not strictly honest, and I cannot think of giving up my 
employment yet, until I have acquired sufficient for my future 
support. Or, perhaps, some sinful pleasure or amusement; 
a few more balls, or turns at the gaming table, or a few more 
glasses of the inebriating liquid must be enjoyed before it will 
be a convenient season. But if the sinner waits for every 
obstacle to be removed, before he commences the work of seek- 
ing salvation, he will never commence at all. For the longer 
he delays, the more numerous and difficult to be surmounted 



296 THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

are the obstacles which appear in his way. The cares of the 
world are continually multiplying upon him ; his affection for 
sinful pleasures grows stronger and stronger ; he feels an increas- 
ing disinclination to think of that which concerns his salvation, 
and is more and more disposed to put further and further 
away the day of repentance. There is, there can be, no such 
thing as this '' convenient season." There never will be a 
time when he will think he has leisure, or can so far relax his 
other pursuits as to attend to the one thing needful. It must 
be done at an inconvenient season, or it will never be done at 
all. Felix, therefore, in saying that he would put off this 
important work until he should have a convenient season, did 
in reality say, that he would never attend to it. We sometimes 
hear it remarked in respect to the case of Felix, that this 
" convenient season" never came. Surely not. There is no 
such thing. It is all a delusion, as really so as the vanishing 
point which deceives our organ of sight. If the great adver- 
sary of mankind can only persuade men to delay repentance 
until what they suppose will be a " convenient season," he 
knows that such a time will never come, and they will be lost 
forever ; and, consequently, those who yield to such a tempta- 
tion render their salvation utterly impossible. 

III. But the last error implied in these words is the most 
absurd of all. " I will call for thee." Let us examine this 
for a moment and see if, as the cap of a climax, it does not at 
the same time give a finishing stroke to a picture of the human 
heart, which portrays its deceitfulness in most fearful colours. 
" I will call for thee/' We can hardly believe that Felix sin- 
cerely meant what he said. Perhaps he did. Perhaps he did 
intend at some future period to hear Paul on this subject 
again. But how unlikely was it that he would ever do so ! 
He had sent for him once to hear him concerning his faith in 



THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 297 

Christ, but a scene had transpired in the judgment hall which 
he little expected. The apostle's sermon had taken such a hold 
upon his feelings, and so alarmed his guilty conscience, that 
he was under the necessity of interrupting him in his discourse, 
and requesting him to withdraw from his presence, lest his 
awakened and terrified conscience should force him to a confes- 
sion of his crimes. St. Paul was the last man he would ever 
send for. He had heard him preach once, and that was quite 
sufficient for him. He would rather send for Tertullus, and 
hear him say, ''Most noble Felix," and listen to his flatteries 
and praises, than to hear the Apostle *' reason of righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to come." Or he would rather 
hear the orator's accusations against Paul, than the preacher 
expose his sins, and condemn his ungodly practices. Can we 
believe that there was even the shadow of a probability that 
he would wish ever to hear the Apostle again ? No, he would 
never have a convenient season for this purpose ; never see a 
time when he would wish to shiver with guilty fear in the pre- 
sence of a prisoner reasoning so powerfully, and deducing such 
alarming conclusions as the Apostle had done. He would never 
find a season when he would wish to be disturbed in the enjoy- 
ment of his sensual pleasures, by listening to another sermon 
from St. Paul ; and had he been aware of the unpleasant effects 
which the former would produce, we will venture to affirm, 
that he would not have sent for him even then. How unreason- 
able the supposition, that he would deliberately wish to hear a 
man preach the second time, and upon the very same subject 
too, when he had felt so miserable under his first sermon, that 
he was under the necessity of stopping him before the conclu- 
sion of his discourse. Nor did he ever send for him again for 
this purpose. He conversed with him frequently afterwards, 
hoping to get money for his release ; but he never requested 
0-2 



298 THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

him to reason again of ''righteousness, temperance, and judg» 
ment to come." And there was no possibility that he would 
call for him ; for it was repugnant to every feeling of his fallen 
soul, and it was the climax of absurdity for him to suppose for 
a moment that he would ever do so. 

Felix, however, is not the only person who has fallen into 
the gross and ruinous error of supposing that he would of his 
own accord, at some future time, commence the work of seek- 
ing the salvation of his soul. This mistake of Felix was the 
production of the deceitful heart ; and it is common to every 
child of fallen man. How often do we hear it repeated, in 
Mibstance, if not in the same words ! Go and converse with 
some persons upon the necessity of seeking religion now, and 
the awful danger of delay. They will profess to believe the 
truth of what you say, but they are not prepared to begin now. 
They reply : " I intend to seek religion some time, but I cannot 
do it now. My circumstances are such that I must defer it 
longer ; but when I have a convenient season, I will do it delib- 
erately, without any of your persuasions. I will not then 
wait to be invited or urged by any person, but will of my own 
accord give my heart to Grod, and engage in his service. I will 
call for the Spirit of God to awaken me from my sinful slum- 
bers, to give me sorrow for my sins, and to make me willing to 
forsake my evil ways." Poor deluded mortals ! How little do 
they know of themselves, of the depravity of their nature, and 
the deceitfulness of their own hearts, who think thus. They 
do not know that by nature they are utterly averse even to 
think of God and their souls ; and that when left to themselves, 
so far from calling for the operations of the Spirit of God, 
the desires and thoughts of their hearts would be only evil, and 
that continually, without the shadow of good, or a moment's 
suspense. God calls upon the sinner to repent, but he will not 



THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. $$$ 

liear ; the Saviour stands at the door and knocks, but he refuses 
to give him admission. And is it at all likely after the sinner 
has for a long time been deaf to the calls and the beseechiog 
entreaties of heaven, that he will of his own choice seek for 
that to which he feels an utter aversion ? No, never; no more 
likely nor possible than for a dead man to ask for life. There 
is no wish or desire of the fallen soul that would prompt such 
a request, but everything against it. But not only so; consider 
also how inconsistently he would act to what he supposes to be 
his interests. The sinner looks upon the work of repentance 
as a very bitter cup. He knows that in seeking religion he 
must taste in some measure the wormwood and the gall, and it 
would be the height of absurdity to suppose that he would 
deliberately desire to exchange the sinful pleasures which he 
so much loves, for the glowing and unpleasant work of repent- 
ance, which he dreads above all other things. No, he would no 
more do it than a man would desire and ask to be removed 
from the most splendid palace to the most loathsome prison. 
He will never call for the Spirit of God ; for it would be the 
same thing as asking to be made miserable, just the reverse of 
what he is always seeking, viz., happiness. He will not call 
upon God, until by the irresistible conviction of the Holy 
Spirit all his sinful pleasures are poisoned, and he feels the 
misery of guilt, and the displeasure of God abiding on his 
perishing soul. And then, what does he ask for ? Not to be 
made more miserable, but to be delivered from sinking down 
to hell under the burden of his condemnation. Now, do not 
misunderstand me. God does not irresistibly convert the sin- 
ner, but he does irresistibly convince him of sin, and show 
him his danger ; and never until God thus works in him will 
he begin to work out his salvation. He will never pray for 
salvation until the Lord has alarmed his soul, by reasoning 
with him of "righteousness, temperance, and judgment to 
come," 



300 THE THREE-FOLD DELUSION. 

'* I will call for thee." When will you call ? 

1. Some say — " If I were in the circumstances of such and 
such a person, who is surrounded by pious friends to encourage 
him, I would immediately seek religion." 

2. Others intend to call when they get rich, and more free 
from the cares of the world. But riches indispose the heart, 
rather than incline it, to seek religion. ' l How hard is it for 
them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God !" 
Mark x. 24. 

3. Others say they will call upon the bed of death. 

•Circumstances will not change the heart of fallen man, what- 
ever may be his outward condition. However favourable the 
circumstances in which he may be placed, there are the carnal 
mind, and a wicked heart. Until these are subdued and 
changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, the sinner will remain 
careless, and not so much as have a serious thought of God 
and his soul, much less will he of his own accord seek the salva- 
vation of his soul. 

See then the nature of this three-fold delusion. 

The sinner delays repentance to another time. That he may 
never see. He expects a convenient season. That will never 
come. He intends to begin this work of his own accord. 
That he will never do. Here, then, is a three-fold cord by which 
Satan drags souls to everlasting perdition. 

Lord ! I beseech thee, deliver my soul out of the snare 
of this infernal fowler. Amen I 



SERMON XIX. 



THE CONSEQUENCES OF DELAY. 



GO THY WAT FOR THIS TIME J WHEN I HAVE A CONVENIENT 8EAS0N, 
I WILL CALL FOB THEE. 

Acts xxiv. 25. 



There is an old proverb which says, <f Never put off until 
to-morrow, that which can as well be performed to-day." This 
is a very safe rule of conduct, and if strictly followed in all our 
worldly concerns, it would, doubtless, save us from many of 
those troubles and calamities which the violation of it fre- 
quently brings upon us. Delays, to say the least of them, are 
dangerous, and may prove ruinous to our intended plans, how- 
ever firmly we may have them fixed in our minds, seeing that 
our life is but a floating vapour which may be suddenly dis- 
sipated. 

But if it be wise never to defer until the future what can 
as well he done at present, it is surely a much wiser and safer 
rule of conduct, never to leave any thing until tomorrow which 
can be much better attended to to-o\ay. This is the rule that 
is acted^upon in most of the affairs of life. We generally 
give those things^the| first claim to our attention which we 
think of the highest importance. But in respect to the great 



302 THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 

work of salvation, we pursue altogether a different course, 
We profess to believe that religion is the one thing absolutely 
essential both to our safety and happiness, and consequently 
an object which should engage our first and most serious atten- 
tion. We know that life is very uncertain, and that our sal- 
vation must be obtained in this life, or not at all ; and yet we 
continue to neglect it, and pursue other objects of only a 
moment's fleeting existence. Nor is it because we have deter- 
mined to dismiss the subject of religion for ever from our minds. 
No, we all seriously resolve to attend to it at some time before 
we die ; and while living without God day after day, and year 
after year, we fondly dream that all will be well at last, and 
cannot entertain even the idea that death will come unex- 
pectedly and find us unprepared. I ask now, if these are not 
the thoughts of some of you ? You are neglecting religion 
now, but you have no intention of doing so always. You 
delay attending to the subject now, hoping that some future 
season will be more favorable than the present ; and when that 
imaginary time arrives, you think that you will commence the 
work in good earnest, and with all dilligence make your call- 
ing and election sure. 

You suppose that by delaying the work of repentance until 
a future season it will be easier, and less unpleasant to perform. 
Thus by this flattering delusion you are risking the highest 
interests of your natures, and the loss of heaven at last. But 
let us now examine the subject, and see, if we can, what are 
the real consequences of delay ; whether or not there are any 
advantages connected with it. 

I. In the first place, it may safely be said, that nothing is 
gained by delay. 

Perhaps the only circumstance which can justify a delay in 
the performance of any work or duty, is when by doing so, 



THE CONSEQUENCES OF DELAY. 303 

some real advantage is gained. This may he the case in soil ? 
of the affairs of this world ; but in respect to the great work 
of seeking religion, no advantage whatever can be obtained by 
delaying it to some future period. 

1. No change will ever be made in the divine requirements 
to render the way of salvation any easier than it now is. The 
narrow way which leads to life will never be made wider. Let 
the sinner delay the work of salvation as long as he may, he 
will still be required to repent of his sins, to forsake his evil 
ways, deny himself of all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart. He that 
believeth shall be saved, is the condition upon which salvation 
is offered to guilty man, and no other terms will ever be pro- 
posed. The heart must be chastened by sincere and genuine 
repentence, the proud soul must be humbled to feel its help- 
lessness and misery, and trust alone in Christ for pardon. 
The standard of purity which the gospel now requires will never 
be altered. i( Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which 
is in heaven is perfect," is the commandment of the Saviour 
in the gospel, and this, like its author, is the tl same yesterday, 
to-day, and for ever/' If then the condition of salvation will 
be always the same, and if all the divine laws and precepts 
will be for ever binding, and must at all times be obeyed in 
order to secure the blessings of the gospel, no advantage 
whatever can be gained by delay ; for the requirements of the 
gospel, will, at all future seasons, be as strict and unyielding 
as they are now. 

2. But again : delaying the work of repentance unto a 
future time, will remove none of the obstacles which seem to 
be in the way of commencing it now. This is one reason why 
the sinner puts off seeking the salvation of his soul at the 
present, He thinks it is not a convenient season now, He ex- 



804 THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 

pects such a season will arrive, When the insurmountable, ob- 
stacles which now appear in his way, will be removed, and he 
will then be able to commence and accomplish the work with- 
out having to contend with those difficulties which seem now 
to obstruct his path. This, however, is all a mere delusion of 
the deceitful heart. The longest delay will not in the least 
lessen the difficulties with which every fallen soul has to con- 
tend, and which must be overcome in order to obtain an in- 
heritance in the kingdom of grace and glory. The world will 
always have its snares and allurements, and will ever be pre- 
senting them in all their varied forms, to enchant the soul, and 
lead it on in the broad road to ruin ; and these will always 
have to be resisted. They will never of their own accord 
cease to draw the affections of the fallen soul to earth, and 
leave it free to pursue its upward and unobstructed course to 
heaven. There will always be a right hand to be cut off, or a 
right eye to be plucked out ; a darling idol to be sacrificed ; or 
a besetting sin to be forsaken. And the devil will never cease 
to oppose and to employ all his hellish arts to prevent the 
salvation of immortal souls. The longest lapse of years 
will not diminish the mighty opposition which he raises 
against those who are striving to enter into the kingdom 
of heaven. He will always be the uncompromising adver- 
sary of mankind, the roaring lion, and the angel of light, and 
in all his Proteus forms will ever wage a ceaseless warfare, and 
employ all his infernal arts to prevent the salvation of every 
soul. 

Nor will the delaying repentance to some future time render 
the heart more disposed to attend to this work than it is now. 
This was tfee great mistake of Felix. He supposed that at 
some future season he would feel disposed to hear the Apos- 
tle '' reason upon righteousness, temperance, and judgment to 



THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 305 

come." For he says, "When I have a convenient season, I will 
call for thee." He very erroneously supposed that at some future 
period he would feel more disposed to listen to the truths of the 
gospel. Alas ! how great was his mistake to suppose that the 
lapse of time would ever change the dispositions of his heart, or 
destroy its natural aversion to spiritual things. Nothing 
whatever is gained in this respect by delay. It will in no wise 
lessen the enmity of the carnal mind to God, nor will it render 
it more disposed to attend to the things which belong to its 
peace. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and always 
will be so until that enmity is subdued by the omnipotent 
agency of the Holy Spirit. The sinner may delay until his 
heart is silvered over with age. He may pass through afflic- 
tions the most severe, jet the longest delay, and the heaviest 
calamities can never tame the passions of his fallen soul, or 
dispose him to the exercise of that godly sorrow for sin which 
is necessary for his salvation. What then is gained by delay ? 
If the divine requirements, or the condition of salvation, will 
be always the same ; if the opposition with which every can- 
didate for heaven has to contend, and to overcome, will never 
be less powerful and active, and the heart will never be more 
disposed to this work than now ; if all things connected with 
the salvation of the soul remain unchangeable in their nature 
it is very evident that no advantage is gained by delaying re- 
pentance to a future season. 

II. But not only, may it be truly said, that nothing is gain- 
ed by delay, but also, that much is lost. If it be true that 
man possesses an intellectural nature, whose desires cannot be 
satisfied with merely sensual enjoyments ; and that while he 
remains in a state of alienation from God, he is destitute of those 
spiritual delights after which the soul aspires, and which can 
be found only in the possession of the saving grace of the 



300 THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 

gospel, r then alljwho neglect or delay repentance deprive them- 
selves of those spiritual enjoyments which religion imparts to 
the soul. 

1. It will hardly be necessary to say that time is lost. The 
moments and hours, and days in their rapid flight tarry for 
none. When once passed, they are gone for ever. And, in the 
loss of time, is necessarily included the irretrievable loss of 
those golden opportunities for attending to, and securing, the 
great object of our present existence. This loss is the greater, 
because we have not one moment to spare ; no time given us 
that we can afford to lose. The period allotted to man as the 
term of his earthly existence, is only just sufficient to enable 
him to accomplish the task assigned him. A moment spent 
in idleness, or an opportunity suffered to pass away unim- 
proved, crowds the great business of life into a narrower space 
than that designed by the Creator for its performance. Every 
day affords numerous advantages for spiritual improvement, 
and every day's delay inflicts a loss which cannot be repaired. 
The sands which are perpetually dropping from the hour glass 
of life can never be returned to perform the same part in 
measuring the passing moments. A season of mercy unim- 
proved carries its unchangeable report to the book of heaven's 
record, and will testify against us when the history of human 
conduct shall be read from the judgment throne. 

2. The most favourable season for seeking the salvation of 
the soul is lost by delay. Youth is the most favourable time 
for commencing in the service of God ; and the earlier in life 
this work is begun, the easier it will be performed. While the 
heart is tender, before the mind becomes entangled in the 
affairs, the business, and pleasures of this world, and the con. 
science seared by repeated acts of transgression, it is not so 
difficult to seek the Lord, and commence a religious life, as it 



THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 307 

will be, when, by delaying this Work, the heart becomes hard- 
ened through the deceitfulness of sin, and rendered less easily 
affected by the gracious influences of the holy Spirit. The 
morning of life is the best time to listen to the voice of 
heavenly mercy, before that sin closes the ears, and steels the 
heart, and renders us insensible to the subject of our soul's 
salvation. 

But not only are the most favourable seasons lost by delay, 
but the difficulty of the work is also greatly increased. "When 
the habits are formed, they are not easily broken off, and the 
longer the sinner continues in his sins, the more strongly are 
the chains of his spiritual bondage rivetted upon him. He 
finds himself more and more indisposed to think of his soul 
and eternal things ; his unholy appetites are continually becom- 
ing the imperious masters of his soul, until they gain the com- 
plete ascendency, and scarcely a possibility is left of ever 
escaping from the dominion of his destroying adversary. 

3. The present enjoyment of the favour of Glod is lost by 
delay. That religion affords happiness to the soul far exceed- 
ing that of any earthly possession, is the united and uniform 
testimony of all, in every age and country, who have ex- 
perienced its saving power. The Psalmist declares, " I had 
rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to 
dwell in the tents of wickedness." It is religion alone that 
can impart to the soul of man the bliss after which it aspires. 
It is the one thing needful for the happiness of man amidst 
the changing scenes of the present life. Those who neglect 
to seek its possession, deprive themselves of those spiritual 
blessings with which true religion strews the path, and crowns 
the head, ot all its possessors. In affliction, they feel not the 
sustaining consolations of divine grace. In losses and trials 
they have no source from which they can obtain comfort and 



308 THE CONSEQUENCES OF DELAY. 

support. In life, they are deprived of its solid comforts. In 
death, of the victory it achieves, and the glorious prospect of a 
joyous immortality which it opens up to the soul. 

4. Again : those who delay the work of salvation, if they 
ever finally obtain a place in heaven, diminish the value of 
their future reward. If the people of God will hereafter be 
rewarded according to their obedience and faithfulness on 
earth ; if every day's service will entitle them to a richer re- 
ward in heaven ; then, by every day's delay, they are suffering 
a loss which will affect their happiness, not in this life only, 
but even throughout eternity. Their delay will diminish the 
splendour of that unfading crown with which they otherwise 
might have been rewarded, had they commenced in early life, 
and spent all their days, and employed all their ransomed 
powers in the service of the Lord. With how great propriety 
then it may be said that much is lost by delay ; a loss of pre- 
sent blessings and of future joys, and a loss which can never 
be repaired. 

III. The third and last consequence of delay is, that every 
thing is hazarded. 

With no security for the continuance of life beyond the 
passing moment, and beset by dangers on every hand by which 
the period of probation may suddenly be closed, how awful is 
the risk which every person runs who delays repentance until 
a future season. He exposes himself to the danger of losing 
life and heaven, and to the bitter pains of eternal death. 

How strong then are the arguments by which the necessity 
of an immediate attention to the concerns of the soul may be 
urged. If no advantage can be gained by delay, but if much 
is lost, and every thing that is valuable to the immortal spirit 
is hazarded, and in danger of being lost for ever, what induce- 
ment can there be for any to neglect their souls' salvation even 



THE CONSEQUENCES OP DELAY. 309 

for a single day or hour 1 They profess to believe in the abso- 
lute necessity of seeking a present salvation in order to qualify 
them for heaven, and yet uncertain as they know life to be, 
they continue to neglect the one thing needful, and thus to 
endanger their souls' everlasting welfare ; more concerned for 
the temporary possession of a few earthly treasures, than to 
secure * a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 

Are any of you speaking the language, and imitating the 
conduct, of Felix 1 Your delay may prove your eternal ruin ! 
Thousands have perished for ever, who were once resolved to 
seek religion at some future, as they supposed, "convenient 
season." But that season never came, and notwithstanding all 
their good desires, and resolutions of attending to the subject 
of religion in future, they missed heaven and sunk down to hell. 
So it may be with you, and most certainly will, if you continue 
to delay the work of repentance until a " convenient season." 
The only scripturaliy u convenient season," is the present. 
" Behold, now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of 
salvation." Now God calls you to repentance. To-morrow 
he may summon you to his presence. Will you delay any 
longer, and run the awful risk of being lost for ever ? May 
the Spirit of God open your eyes, and deliver you out of the 
snare of the devil, for the Bedeemer's sake. Amen. 



SERMON XX, 



THE ABOUNDINGS AND REIGN OF SIN* 



Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound : that as 
bin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through 

RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO ETERNAL LIPE BY JeSUS CHRIST OUR LORD. 

Romans v. 20, 21, 



The inspired writers in describing the moral character of 
man are exceedingly brief, and yet they have furnished us with 
the clearest and most comprehensive development of his nature 
and condition that could possibly have been given. Their 
descriptions may very properly be compared to the working of 
an experienced artist, who briefly sketches the outlines of 
his subject, and throws in the lights and shadows of the picture 
with that readiness and ease which proves how completely he 
is master of the permance* Nor is this a matter of wonder, 
when we consider whence they drew their knowledge of the 
moral character of man. It was not from the deductions of 
human reason that they arrived at a correct understanding of 
the true condition of the race of mankind. It was not from 
the lengthened observation of an antediluvian age that they 
learned the secret workings of the human heart. Nor was it 
while sitting upon the summit of the highest earthly elevation, 



THE ABOUNDINGS AND KEIGN OP SIN. 311 

and patiently observing the busy tribes of flesh and blood, that 
they recorded the history contained in the sacred writings. 
They learned the character and history of man under the 
tuition of an Infallible Teacher. Holy men of old spoke and 
wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. The eye that 
had surveyed, as with a single glance, all human affairs, from 
the first moment of time, guided the pen that has left us an 
unerring guide to the attainment of that knowledge which is 
to us of the highest importance. And the manner in which 
this knowledge is imparted is worthy of notice. It is not by 
lengthy and tedious descriptions, nor through the medium of 
a chain of abstruse reasoning. They simply announce the 
fact they wish to teach, and then give the naked history 
of man, as furnishing the clearest illustration, and the most 
convincing proof. 

We have here, in the words we have selected, a brief state* 
ment of the subject to which we design to direct your thoughts, 
viz. : The effects of Sin. These words also contain a pleasing 
declaration of the gracious provision of Divine mercy ; but 
upon this part of the subject we do not design to dwell; we 
shall merely glance at it by way of conclusion. 

The subject then for our present meditation is the universal 
influence and^awful effects of sin. 

1. The apostle describes the awful influences and the fearful 
consequences of sin, by the declaration of two circumstances 
connected with it. Sin hath abounded, — and sin hath reigned 
unto death. Thesejmaracteristics of sin are most fully exem- 
plified in the general state of the human family, and also in 
the experience and conduct of every individual among the 
children of men. 

Survey the history of the world from the earliest period of 
its existence ; consult the most authentic records both of sacred 



312 THE AB0UNDING8 AND BEIGN OF SIN. 

and profane writers, and what do we learn ? Is not the whole 
history from the commencement to the conclusion a history of 
the universal prevalence and dominion of sin ? It is true, 
indeed, that there was a very short space before the entrance 
of sin into our world. But how short was that period. When 
the Creator had finished his works, he pronounced everything 
good ; but scarcely had the sound of his benediction died away, 
than we hear the announcement of a universal curse. Man 
created in the image of God, and invested with a higher 
authority than any other creature, rebelled against his Maker, 
and introduced misery and universal disorder into our world. 
And mark with what a fearful certainty the influence of the 
first transgression was perpetuated. The very first-born of 
Adam became a murderer of the darkest character, by imbru- 
ing his hands in his brother's blood. No sooner did men begin 
to multiply upon the earth, than the contagion spread with the 
most alarming rapidity. Hence we are informed that the 
wickedness of man was great ; that the earth was corrupt and 
filled with violence ;" for all flesh had corrupted his way upon 
the earth.'' Gen. vi. 12. Sin abounded and reigned to such 
an alarming extent, that it is declared, " it repented the Lord 
that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his 
heart," until he was constrained to give the most tremendous 
proof of his displeasure, by sweeping away the antediluvians 
as with the besom of destruction. God in his mercy preserved 
alive the family of Noah ; but were the succeeding generations 
better than their predecessors ? With all the advantages of 
the pious example and precepts of their father, how soon did 
they exhibit the tendency of mankind to universal depravity ? 
The building of the tower of Babel was a fresh act of contempt 
of the Divine authority ; and the character and conduct of the 
Sodomites gave fearful evidence of the aboundings of iniquity. 



THE ABOtJNDlNGS AND KEIGN OF SIN. 318 

If, however, we consider for a moment the means which God 
has employed to counteract the progress of sin, we shall see 
more clearly the proneness of fallen man to yield to its domi- 
nion. God in his infinite wisdom selected one family from 
amongst the general mass of human depravity, in order thereby 
to manifest to the world the true knowledge and worship of 
himself. By a series of wonderful providences lie established 
the posterity of Abraham in the land of Canaan, where they 
were separated from all the idolatrous nations of the earth, 
and distinguished by many invaluable privileges* They alone 
possessed the sacred oracles which contained the revelation of 
the will of God. They had the purest and most rational form 
of religious worship, and the whole of their economy, both 
civil and religious, instituted as it was by God himself, was 
calculated in a high degree to restrain every species of vice, 
and to promote genuine piety. If, therefore, there had ever 
been an exception to the general statement of the apostle in 
the text, or any part of the human family free from the influ- 
ences of sin, it would certainly have been found in the case of 
the Jewish people. But with all their advantages and induce- 
ments to the most devout and ardent piety, what was their 
moral character as a nation, as we find it described by their 
own historians? See them while journeying through the 
wilderness, and while surrounded by the visible tokens of the 
Divine goodness and power. Hear their murmurings, and 
witness their ingratitude und rebellions. Moses calls them a 
stiff-necked people* He says, " Ye have been rebellious against 
the Lord from the day that I knew you." " Jeshurun waxed 
fat and kicked :" " He forsook God which made him, and lightly 
esteemed the Rock of his salvation." And how many of them 
fell in the wilderness, as the fearful monuments of the abound- 
ings of iniquity ? What is the subsequent history of this 
p 



314 THE ABOUNDING S AND REIGN OF SIN. 

people but an unbroken series of the most awful scenes of 
wickedness 1 Breaking through all the restraints of law and 
religious obligation, each was disposed to do that which seemed 
right in his own eyes. The historical writers of the Old Testa, 
ment all concur in drawing the most melancholy picture of 
their country. The land was overrun with idolatry, oppression, 
profaneness, and crimes of the deepest dye. From the priest 
down to the lowest of the people, sin pervaded every rank, so 
that even the enlightened and highly favoured Jews were in 
general an ungodly and a wicked people. Sin abounded among 
them, and reigned over them. 

If the state of the Jewish nation was so deplorably bad, 
what must have been the condition of the heathen who were 
involved in gross ignorance, and left to the unrestrained 
dominion of the propensities of fallen nature ? We have the 
picture of their moral condition given by the apostle in the 
third chapter of the epistle to the Romans. Who, after reading 
that alarming description, will doubt the propriety and awful 
truth of the expression, lt sin abounded?" Nor is this descrip- 
tion of the apostle applicable merely to the heathen notions of 
antiquity, but to all of every age and country. The lapse of 
years has not in the least degree bettered the moral condition 
of mankind, nor have the advantages of civilization, science, 
and refinement, obliterated the traces of their fallen state. 
Whether we study the history of ancient or modern times j 
whether of barbarous or civilized counties } or the history of 
man under the influence of the various systems of religion ; 
all will only serve to show that sin has universally abounded. 
It has passed over every boundary, overleaped every barrier, 
trampled on all authority, rejected all restraint, and bid defi- 
ance both to God and man. 

Sin has not only abounded, but it has reigned, and usurped 



THE ABOUNDING 8 AND REIGN OF SIN. 815 

Universal dominion. In opposition to the dictates of reason 
and conscience, of justice and gratitude, it has swayed a 
tyrant's sceptre over every part of the habitable globe. Igno- 
rance, superstition, idolatry* learning, commerce, wealth, and 
rank, have all been pressed into its service. No monarch ever 
ruled over such extensive dominions, or with such an absolute 
sway. Its sovereignty has been acknowledged, and its laws 
have been obeyed in every country, city, town, and village ; by 
the rich and the poor, old and young, the noble and vulgar, 
the learned and the ignorant. The universal reign of sin is 
proved by the universal ravages it has made ; and it has given 
the most tremendous proof of its unlimited sovereignty j for 
sin has reigned unto death. If we inquire how death became 
the common lot of mankind, we answer, because of sin. 
Death has passed upon all, because all have sinned. That 
death has obtained an unlimited commission to attack every 
son and daughter of Adam, is a fact too notorious to be dis- 
puted, after the experience of nearly six thousand years. 
Neither rank nor station, neither wisdom nor power, nor even 
piety itself can claim any exemption, ''for it is appointed 
unto men once to die." " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou 
shalt return." 

But we may consider these characteristics of sin not merely 
in reference to mankind at large, but also as applicable to 
every individual of the human family. Sin has abounded, 
and reigned unto death in every child of man. We have seen 
from the universal prevalence of sin that none have escaped its 
direful influence ; nor is it less true that it has abounded in 
every man to the utter exclusion of all that is good. However 
deluded moralists may speculate upon the dignity of human 
nature, it is not the less true that every imagination of the 
thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually. In him there 



818 TttE ABOttNDlNGS AND REIGN Of SiN. 

dwelleth no good thing. The influence of sin hath extended 
over both body and mind) nor has any attribute of his origi- 
nal nature survived the ruins of the fall. '' The whole head 
is sicky' Isa. i. 6. Sin has abounded internally and ex- 
ternally. His thoughts, desires, and affections tend only to 
evil. He neither loves, fears, nor obeys God. His carnal 
mind is enmity against God. His heart is deceitful* and des- 
perately wicked* His reason* which was given him for a lamp 
of light, serves only to lead him astray. The eyes of his un^ 
derstanding are so utterly darkened that he sees not the things 
which belong to his peace ; he is wise to do evil, but to do 
good he has no knowledge nor inclination. He desires and 
delights in those things which are displeasing to God* and in- 
jurious to himself, while he rejects and disdains those things 
which would promote his own real welfare. His affections are 
earthly, sensual^ and devilish? and his life^ as the natural con- 
sequence, is nothing but a course of sinful conduct. The 
Heavenly Guest that originally dwelt in his breast is banish^ 
ed, and sin, as a strong man armed, sits there enthroned, and 
keeps possession of his palace. Man by his conduct has ac- 
knowledged sin as his sovereign, has vowed allegiance to it, 
and acted the part of a faithful and loyal subject. In common 
with the infernal hosts* he has taken up arms against the 
Almighty, and eternal King of heaven, bidding defiance to 
Jehovah himself. We may further remark* that in man, in 
his unregenerate state* the reign of sin is constant and uninter- 
rupted. It commences with his existence, and it reigns at all 
times to the suppression and exclusion of every opposing prin- 
ciple. The character of the antediluvian sinners is applicable 
to every fallen man. Every imagination of the thoughts of 
the heart is only evil continually, without the smallest mix- 
ture of good* or the least intermission of evil j and it never 



THE ABOUNDING^ AND REIGN OP SIN. 317 

ceases to maintain its dominion until it produces its final 
effects. By the influence and the reign of sin every child of 
man is exposed to a variety of pains and diseases, and finally 
to death itself. Our bodies, which display the supereminent 
skill of the divine Architect, must die, It has reigned unto 
the death of the body,— the death of the soul,— to eternal 
death, 



SERMON XXI. 



THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OF GRACE. 



Where Sin abounded, grace did much more abound : that as 
sin hath reigned unto death even so might grace reign through 

RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO ETERNAL LIFE BY JeSUS CHRIST OUR LORD. 

Romans v. 20, 21. 



In the former remarks from these words, we have been led 
to consider the awful effects of sin, as displayed in its univer- 
sal prevalence, and absolute and ruinous dominion. It will 
now be our more delightful employment to contemplate the 
fullness of the provision made for the restoration of our fallen 
race to all the blessings of their forfeited inheritance, and to 
even higher honours, and more exalted felicity, than they would 
have otherwise enjoyed. This is expressed by the Apostle in 
our text by the terms * grace has much more abounded," and 
"grace has reigned unto eternal life." 

The first thing to which our attention is directed in con- 
sidering the glorious remedy which Infinite Goodness has pro- 
vided, to rescue our fallen race from the direful effects of sin 
in this world, and prove its fearful consequences in the future 
state of retribution, is the universality of its extent. The 
text says, *' Where sin abounded, grace did much more 



THE SUPER ABOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 319 

abound.'' Wide spread as has been the prevalence of sin, the 
aboundings of divine grace have passed beyond, and encircled 
its utmost limits. 

Fearful as have been the devastations which sin has made, 
in the scheme of redeeming mercy unfolded in the gospel wc 
are furnished with a provision, ample in its extent, and con 
taining every element necessary for repairing our moral desola- 
tions, and restoring the beauty of universal holiness wherever 
sin has spread its corrupting influence. 

What then, we ask, does this declaration of the Apostle 
necessarily imply ? We answer in the first place, it most cer- 
tainly includes an unequivocal declaration of the freeness and 
universality of divine grace. It includes the whole human 
race, and is designed to accomplish the salvation of every child 
of man, through all the ages of the earth's existence, and in 
every clime. From its free and saving benefits no one indi- 
vidual of the human family has ever been, or ever will be, 
unconditionally excluded. Were it true ; or could we for a 
moment suppose that multitudes, including by far the greater 
part of mankind, are doomed to an inevitable damnation, by 
a decree of Jehovah, irrespective of their moral character ; 
then the declaration of the text, in order to accord with such 
a view of the scheme of redemption, would require, even a 
restricted reversion ; and instead of, i( where sin abounded, 
grace did much more abound," it should be, where sin 
abounded, grace did not extend ; for in the case of those 
persons marked as the vessels of wrath, so for from there 
being any display of grace at all, there would be the mani- 
festation of arbitrary power, injustice, and cruelty. But this 
monstrous doctrine, so utterly repulsive to the feelings of even 
our common humanity, is directly at variance with the whole 
tenor of Inspiration, and is contradicted by some of its plain- 



820 THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OF GRACE. 

est and most unequivocal declarations. " The Lord is good to 
all : and his tender mercies are over all Lis works," Psa. cxlv* 9. 
' For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sa- 
viour ; who will have all men to he saved, and to come unto the 
knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. ii. 3, 4. And for the accom- 
plishment of this universal purpose, that Jesus Christ by the 
grace of God should taste death for every man, Heb. ii. 2, 9. 

In the distribution of his temporal blessings, the Divine Being 
displays no proscriptive partiality. For "the eyes of all wait 
upon Thee ; and Thou givest them their meat in due season." 
And in the dispensation of the vastly more important spiritual 
benefits we behold the manifestation of the same impartiality 
and unrestricted benevolence. Can we then for a moment 
suppose, or have we the shadow of a scriptural season for 
believing, that He who thus scatters his temporal favours over 
the entire world of mankind, does, for aribtrary reasons, or 
for the mere display of his own uncontrollable sovereignty, 
deny to multitudes the possibility of a participation in the 
unspeakably more important blessings of His grace ? It is true 
indeed, in looking over the world we behold a vast difference 
in the condition of the different tribes and nations ; some 
enjoying all the advantages of civilization and refinement, 
and the light of Divine truth; while others are in a state of 
barbarism, and involved in heathenish darkness. Yet even 
this vast disparity in their external condition cannot be re- 
garded as deciding the moral relations, or fixing the eternal 
destiny of a single individual. And although a knowledge of 
the plan of salvation as unfolded in the Gospel is unques- 
tionably an invaluable privilege, yet even this is not absolutely 
essential to the final enjoyment of the salvation which it 
offers. Thus in the case of those who are destitute of the 
light of revelation, through no fault of their own, if they walk 



THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 821 

according to that light that cometh into the world ; and obey 
the teachings of that grace which bringeth salvation, and 
which appeareth unto ail men, they will be accepted of God, 
and enjoy the eternal reward of their obedience, though the 
plan by which they are saved may not be unfolded to them 
until they see it in the light of eternity. The salvation of 
upright heathens obeying the law written upon their hearts, 
as also that of idiots and children, is secured upon the only 
sure foundation of the Redeemer's mediatorial work. Nor is 
it any more impossible or unreasonable to suppose that they 
may be saved through a medium, and in a way to them un- 
known, than that in a manner and for a cause to them equally 
mysterious and unaccountable, they should be involved in the 
consequences of the fall, and exposed to a variety of sufferings, 
and to death at last. 

With no other view than that of the plenitude and univer- 
sal extent of the provision of grace can we reconcile the 
goodness of the Deity in the perpetuation of the human 
race. Although multitudes would thus be involved in 
misery and woe, without any fault of their own, yet no 
injustice would be done to any, as every one would be fully 
indemnified through the aboundings of Divine grace for 
whatever sufferings might be endured, unless by a rejection 
of the offered remedy, they transfer the guilt of disobedi- 
ence and its deserved punishment to their own souls. In 
the aboundings of Divine grace, it is restrained by no limits 
within the utmost extent of human misery. As all without 
exception have suffered by the aboundings of sin, so all are 
invited, and capacitated to obtain the blessings of salvation, 
and to enjoy a fullness and eternity of bliss. 

2. But the language of the text implies even more than 

this. We are here taught that the grace of God is not only 
P-2 



322 THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 

sufficient to reverse the effects of sin, and save from its future 
consequences, and to raise mankind to the possession of all 
that they have lost by the fall, hut also, that through the 
exceeding riches of grace, they will be promoted to higher 
honours, and enjoy a more exalted state of happiness than 
man would have inherited had he remained in a state of 
innocence. This view of the subject is fully warranted by 
the peculiar mode of expression employed by the apostle in 
the text. It is not merely, *' where sin abounded, grace did" 
also "abound;" but " did much more abound," or passed 
far beyond, as the original term signifies. 

Sin is, indeed, an awful evil, but in the case of all who 
accept the provided remedy, so far from suffering any real 
loss, the riches of the Divine goodness are most marvellously 
displayed in making the apostacy of our first parents the 
occasion of an eternal gain to all their believing posterity. 

In no other sense can we properly understand the Apostle 
when speaking of the superabounding of grace. The scheme 
of redemption cannot be supposed to include more in num- 
ber than those affected by sin. It must, therefore, neces- 
sarily refer to the measure of grace enjoyed by those who 
receive its benefits. The grace of G-od superabounds in the 
degree of happiness it confers upon all who believingly 
embrace it. It passes far beyond the utmost extent of the 
aboundings of sin, delivering mankind from its present 
dominion, and advances all the subjects of its saving power 
to an ''exceeding great and eternal weight of glory" in the 
heavenly world. Not only have we reason to believe that 
the happiness of the redeemed will be greater than they 
would otherwise have enjoyed, but even superior to that of 
angels. For while saints may join in concert with angels 
iu their highest ascriptions of praise to their Creator and 



THE SUPERAEOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 323 

King, in that song of triumph which the redeemed shall 
sing with the highest emphasis and joy, angels cannot unite. 
And when all the hosts of heaven, with a blended voice 
that shall go up as the noise of many waters, sing, " Great 
and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty ; just and 
true are thy ways, thou King of Saints," the ransomed throng 
will attune their golden harps to a nobler song, and with 
higher notes than angel harps can sound, will sing, " Unto 
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own 
blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and 
his Father ; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. 
Amen." 

Had man retained his state of innocence, his happiness 
would doubtless have been even and uninterrupted, and 
his removal to another state would, in all probability, have 
increased his felicity, but to what extent we have no means 
of determining. But go now and trace the progress of the 
redeemed sinner through the vicissitudes of this vale of 
woe until he stands before the throne of God and the Lamb, 
and while we are assured that he enjoys all that he would 
have possessed had he never fallen, yet his chief happinese 
will consist in his ceaseless ascriptions of praise to the Lamb 
for his redemption. Is it not reasonable, too, to suppose 
that creatures who have been raised from the degradation 
and misery to which sin had sunk them, to the enjoyment 
of celestial delights, will feel stronger emotions of gratitude 
and love than beings who had never personally experienced 
the evils of a fallen state ? To whom is rest so agreeable, 
and who enjoy peace with so high a relish as those who 
have passed through scenes of labour and strife, and who, 
after their toils and commotions have ceased, are permitted 
to enter upon the enjoyment of a delightful reverse of for- 



324 THE SUPEKABOUNDING AND KEIGN OP GEACE. 

tune ? So the very scenes of trial and suffering, through 
which the saints of God shall have passed on earth, will 
heighten the eternal bliss of heaven, while from their lofty 
seats they will fathom the depths of the horrible pit from 
which they have been raised to their unspeakable height of 
glory and of joy ; and the amazing and delightful contrast 
between their former and their latter state will only serve 
to increase their grateful love, and thus augment the richness 
of their heavenly delights. In the visions of God, with 
which John the Kevelator was favoured, he saw a company 
standing apparently nearer to the throne of God and the 
Lamb than others. They were clothed in white robes, and 
having palms in their hands, " They cried with a loud voice, 
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb." "While he was gazing with mute astonish- 
ment upon the enraptured host, he was accosted by one of 
the elders, saying, " What are these which are arrayed in 
white robes? and whence came they ?" He replied, '' Sir, 
thou knowest." And who were they ? Hear the answer, 
i( These are they which came out of great tribulation, and 
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God ;" 
near to, or in the immediate presence of the throne of God, 
** and serve him day and night in his temple," And if the 
happiness of the heavenly hosts is in proportion to their 
nearness to the eternal throne, then will the bliss of saints 
be superior to that of angels, for they are represented as 
standing before the throne, and the angels are round about 
the throne, and about the elders. Thus through the abound- 
ing of grace poor sinful mortals are raised to the highest 
summit of created bliss. 
Again: ha/1 mp never apostatized, his relation wou.14 



THE SUPERABOTJNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 325 

have been that of a servant or a subject of the Heavenly 
King. But how widely different are the relations he will 
sustain when placed amongst the ransomed hosts as the 
subjects of redeeming grace ! The various terms employed 
by the inspired writers in describing the privileges of Chris- 
tian believers, are such as are never applied to even the 
highest orders of the angelic hosts. It is the ransomed 
sons of earth, and they only, that we are informed, shall be 
the " heirs of God," and "joint heirs with Jesus Christ," — 
" kings and priests unto Grod ;" and they are finally to sit 
down with Jesus Christ on his throne, even as he is set down 
with his Father on his throne. Well may the poet ask in 
amazement — 

" How can it be, thou Heavenly King, 
That thou shouldest us to glory bring ? 
Make slaves the partners of thy throne, 
Decked with a never-fading crown ?" 

We may notice, also, that the exalted honours of the 
redeemed will not be those enjoyed as a patrimonial inherit- 
ance, but as the triumphant issue of a mighty contest. 
Hence their crowns will be crowns of conquest and of glory, 
and unfading as the diadem which adorns the head of the 
martial hero, when he receives token of universal conquest. 
And how inconceivably will this increase the value of their 
eternal reward ! Who among the sons of earth enjoys the 
highest renown 1 the hereditary king, or he who has attained 
to regal honours and an imperial throne by a succession of 
brilliant achievements ? The honours of the saints will be 
those of a well-earned renown ; their regal dignity as the 
co-heirs with Christ on his throne, will be the glorious 
reward of the victories they with him have achieved over 
the common foe. Hence says the Saviour, " To him that 
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even 



326 THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OF GRACE. 

as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his 
throne." Rev. iii. 2 1. How marvellous are the ways of God 
in his dealings with his rebellious creature man ! Instead of 
immediately inflicting upon the first guilty pair the extreme 
penalty of their crime, and thus terminating man's earthly 
existence, he designs to perpetuate the race, and through the 
wondrous scheme of redemption, he makes even the calami- 
ties of our fallen state the occasion of contributing to the 
eternal gain of all who cordially embrace the offered remedy. 

II. Our text leads us further to notice the universal do- 
minion of Divine grace, as well as its universal prevalence. 
Sin has reigned unto death, even so grace in the exercise of 
its counteracting influence, must reign unto eternal life. 

The form of expression here employed in describing the 
operation of grace as the antagonist of sin, leads us to the 
contemplation of that delightful subject so often the theme 
of prophetic song, and the object of triumphant anticipation, 
the universal extent of the Redeemer's dominion. 

Wherever sin has reigned, (and where has it not swayed a 
tyrant's sceptre ?) there grace must display its mightier 
power, and break the usurper's cruel reign. 

This glorious consummation, so ardently desired and 
sought by every subject of grace, is secured by the unfail- 
ing promises of Jehovah. To notice all these would be to 
repeat the whole volume of Inspiration. This was that 
conspicuous object that attracted every prophetic ejH — the 
perpetual burden of prophetic song — the joy set before the 
Redeemer, and by which he was sustained amidst the suffer- 
ings of his mediatorial conflict. It was while looking down 
the long line of ages to the end of time, and beholding in 
the widely spreading and multiplying triumphs of the cross?, 



THE SUPERABOUNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 327 

many sons coming unto glory, that lie saw u of the travail 
of his soul, and was satisfied." 

We may here just notice two predictions respecting the 
universal reign of grace. In the second Psalm, the Father 
is represented as speaking to the Son, and saying — " Ask of 
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." 
And then, as the counterpart or fulfillment of this promise, 
when the last of the apostolic angels had sounded his trum- 
pet, the united voices of the heavenly hosts announce the 
consummation of the reign of grace : " The kingdoms of this 
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and his Christ ; 
and he shall reign forever and ever." Rev. xi. 15. In 
the universal reign of grace is implied the universal diffu- 
sion and reign of truth. Error and superstition will then 
cease to mislead and enslave the children of men, and 
truth, mightier than all its antagonists, will have gained 
its appointed destination, and accomplished its universal 
triumphs. And how much is there in the present aspects 
of the world to indicate the speedy and near approach of 
this desired consummation ! Never, perhaps, was the pure 
truths of the Gospel more widely diffused, more rapidly 
spreading, or waging a more deadly war on every form of 
error. Nor does even the revival of the worst errors of 
Popery, by so-called Protestants, present any omen unfavour- 
able to the accomplishment of the predicted result. It is 
the mustering of the hosts to the last battle — the convulsive 
struggles of a dying monster. Such has been the rapid 
progress of the truth, that error has been compelled to sum- 
mon to its aid the testimony and authority of the Fathers, 
and the decisions of councils ; thus invoking the imaginary 
sanctions and authority of antiquity, to prolong a little the 



328 THE SUPERAB0UNDING AND REIGN OP GRACE. 

existence of those errors which are as certainly doomed to 
perish by the omnipotence of Truth, as the darkness of the 
night disappears before the approach of day. Then shall 
grace reign triumphantly without a rival ; for all kindreds, 
nations, people, and tongues, shall yield a cheerful obedience 
to the king of Zion. But we may consider this subject in 
its application to the experience of the Christian believer, 
and as a declaration of the efficacy of Divine grace in the 
heart of man, suppressing and destroying sin. As sin has 
reigned in the heart of every child of man, and reigned to 
the utter exclusion of everything that is good, so grace is 
to be equally extensive and powerful in its influence. It is 
to reign to the entire exclusion of every evil, until that grace 
which was imparted in a measure at the first, pervades the 
affections, controls the will, influences all the actions, and 
brings into captivity every thought to the obedience of 
Christ. 

The lowest privilege of the Christian believer is to have 
power over all sin, and to be freed from its service and bondage. 
But in the possession of this state of grace there may be the 
remains of a corrupt nature, which, through the restraining 
power of divine grace, are prevented from breaking out into 
acts of open disobedience. Hence the internal conflicts of the 
believer in resisting the lusts of the flesh, and striving against 
the evil suggestions of their own hearts. As the heavenly 
work proceeds in the heart, the power of sin becomes weaker, 
and the influence of grace continues to increase until every 
opposing principle is destroyed, and Divine grace maintains 
the undivided dominion of the heart. 

Now, the text teaches us that the influence of grace is to be 
as extensive and powerful as that of sin. As sin abounds in 
every unregenerate man to the utter exclusion of everything 



THE SUPERABOUNDIN& AND EEION OF &RACE. 829 

that is good, so grace is to abound to the entire destruction of 
every evil. As the sinner, while he was the servant of sin, 
was free from righteousness, so when by the power of grace he 
becomes the servant of God, he is made free from sin. In his 
former state he brought forth the fruits of sin, but now he has 
his fruit unto holiness. The grace of God is designed to per- 
vade and fill the whole soul, and to exert its controlling power 
over all the faculties, and over every thought, word, and action, 
As in the former state, every Divine impression was speedily 
erased, every good desire quenched, every holy resolution frus- 
trated, and sin reigned without intermission and without 
control, so grace is to reign, 

Grace is to reign through righteousness. As sin works out 
its fearful results by depraving all the faculties of the soul, so 
grace is to reign by conforming the heart to the Divine mind, 
bringing all the thoughts and desires under the control of just 
and righteous principles; thus producing in the outward con- 
duct the fruits of righteousness, to the praise and glory of God, 

As the tendency of the reign of sin was unto death, so that 
of grace is unto eternal life, through Jesus Christ, 



SERMON XXII 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 



Then shall ye return, and descend between the righteous 

AND THE WICKED, BETWEEN HIM THAT SERVETH GrOD AND HIM THaT 
SERYETH HIM NOT. 

Mal. iii. 18. 



In a state of trial like that in which mankind are placed, 
there will of necessity be found a diversity of character, or a 
mixture of good and evil; nor is it possible to separate the one 
from the other so long as the term of probation continues. 
Each subject of a state of trial must be left to take the un- 
biassed direction of its own will ; to choose virture, or to pre- 
fer vice ; to obey the mandates of the Creator, or to refuse 
subjection to his authority; and while this is the case, and a 
variety of conflicting motives incites to actions of different 
kinds, both good and bad, there will be found existing as the 
natural consequence of free agency, or liberty of action, a 
diversity of characters. The history of the creation proves 
the truth of this. The period of even angelic probation did 
not terminate without the entrance of evil into the once pure 
society of heaven. And the innocence of Eden was soon 
despoiled of its beauty and loveliness by the foul stain of 
guilt. Whether or not the existence of evil is a necessary 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 331 

consequence of free agency and a state of trial, we would not 
pretend to determine. We wish to speak merely in reference 
to the actual condition of our world. We are in a state of 
trial, sin has entered, man is a fallen and depraved creature, 
and there is here a mixture of good and evil, and will con- 
tinue to be until the closing up of the present scene, and the 
termination of the period appointed as the term of man's trial, 
which is to decide his changeless destiny throughout an un- 
ending existence. The dispensations of the Great moral Gov- 
ernor of the world, during the period of the trial of free agents, 
must necessarily involve much mystery, and often apparent 
partiality, and even injustice, in the estimation of beings who 
cannot survey them in reference to their primary cause and ulti- 
mate effects. The distinction between good and evil, virtue 
and vice, is not always so evident as from their antagonistic 
natures we might suppose it ought to be. Nor could the pro- 
per distinction here be made in harmony with the free moral 
agency of man. Were virtue always sure of an immediate 
and full reward, and vice of its proper punishment, man would 
be placed in such circumstances of inducements and restraints, 
from hope and fear, as would in effect destroy the very object 
of his present state of existence, which is to leave him free 
to act according to the inclinations of his own will. But when 
the scene of his present probation shall close, all mystery will 
be unfolded, and good and evil will be separated as widely as 
the two extremes of their opposite natures ; and " then shall 
ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, 
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." 

I. We learn, first, from these words, that the distinction 
between the good and bad is not always so evident in this 
world as to be determined with absolute certainty." 

II. That there is a time coming when this distinction will 
be made so apparent as to be clearly seen by all. 



332 THE FINAL DISTINCTION, 

I. The text speaks of two general classes, the righteous and 
the wicked ; him that serveth God, and him that serveth him 
not; and these two embrace the whole human family. And 
whatever may be the apparent, and almost infinite diversity 
of character amongst mankind, all other distinctions are lost 
in these. Yet wide, and real, and essential as the difference is 
between these two classes, it is not in all cases so marked as to 
render it certain to those who judge from the mere outward 
appearance, nor can we under all circumstances determine 
from the external conduct of men, to which of the general 
classes they belong. It is true that there are persons whose 
characters are clearly discerned, and there need not be a mo- 
ment's hesitation in deciding concerning them. We see some 
who are manifestly righteous, uniform, and untiring in their 
zeal for God and his cause, habitually just, benevolent, and 
compassionate, living for the good of others, and aiming with 
a single eye at the glory of God. It is very easy to discern 
to what class they belong, for their whole conduct speaks a 
language which cannot be misinterpreted by even the most 
captious. Others are as manifestly wicked, and notorious for 
their enmity to God, and disregard of his commandments. 
In their hearts, and by words and deeds they say, " What is 
the Almighty, that we should serve him ? and what profit 
should we have, if we pray unto him ?" Job xxi,, 15. 

In respect to these, we can even here determine to which class 
they belong, for the character they bear is written upon their 
foreheads as with the sun-beam of heaven's own light. But 
there are many concerning whom it is very difficult to decide. 
They are like persons who live upon the confines of .two coun- 
tries, inhabiting, and enjoying the advantages of both as far 
as possible, without knowing, or having any particular care, to 
which they belong. They appear to be neither for Christ nor 



Tft£ FINAL DISTINCTION. 333 

against liim 5 neither cold nor hot ; having so many good quali- 
ties that it might seem improper to class them directly with 
the wicked, and yet not good enough to be considered righ- 
teous. Such were those among the people of Israel concerning 
whom the Lord himself inquires* "What shall I do unto thee V } 
(Hos. vi. 4,) as though it were a puzzling question for even 
Infinite Wisdom to decide with which class they should be 
numbered^ and what ought to be their doom* 

Consider this subject in another light) as referring to the fact 
that in the dispensations of Divine Providence in conducting 
the grand scheme of his moral government towards the accom- 
plishment of its ultimate design, there is not always a marked 
distinction between the condition of the righteous and 
the wicked. The two characters can never be blended in one* 
However nearly they may seem to resemble each other, they 
are distinct in their natures 5 but the condition of both may be, 
and often is* alike as it respects their temporal circumstances* 
They are fellow-partakers in many ol the blessings and com- 
forts of this life ; and they share in common the sorrows and 
calamities inseparable from even the most highly favoured 
state of man's earthly existence. The same sun-light that 
cheers the abodes of devoted piety, illumines the habitations 
of undissembled wickedness. The same showers that fertilize 
the fields of the just, fall on the possessions of the unjust, and 
fill their garners with an abundance of the precious fruits of 
the earth. The same pestilence which, in its terrific march* 
leaves the proud and profane the lifeless victims of its fury, 
often strews its path with earthly tabernacles which were the 
temples of the living God. Although true piety is unques- 
tionably connected with many advantages even in this life, yet 
the most devoted servants of God have no assurance of ex- 
emption from the common evils which are the entailed inheri- 



334 TfiE final bisfifrcTicm. 

tance of our race. They, as well as the wicked, are exposed 
to losses. Their riches may suddenly be dissipated by the 
consuming flames ; disease may blast their beauty, and wither 
their strength; and death, which happens to all, will finally 
mingle their bodies with their native elements* So that in 
this respect) the Divine dispensations in the distribution of 
temporal blessings afford no criteria by which to judge of 
the moral characters of men, The Divine Being does indeed 
give the seal of his approbation to the conduct of the righ- 
teous ; and often manifests his fierce displeasure against the 
wickedness of the wicked 5 so far at least as it is necessary to 
afford the highest encouragement to virtue, and to place the 
strongest restraints upon vice. 

In the present state of probation the righteous are incited 
to maintain their integrity, and to the practice of a cheerful 
obedience, by the inspiring hope of future rewards, rather 
than by the almost compelling motives of immediate gain 5 
while at the same time the wicked are restrained in their 
course, not by the strong arm of Almighty power, but by the 
certainty of merited punishments in the day of final retribu- 
tion. Were the righteous to be exempted from all the calami- 
ties and sorrows incident to human life, and the wicked 
always to be visited with the immediate reward of their crimes, 
this vast distinction would in effect destroy the free agency of 
man* by compelling him to act from circumstances, rather than 
leading him to obedience from the influence of motives drawn 
from the consideration of a future state, and not as in any 
wise materially affecting his present condition. So that in 
regard to the exercise of the Divine munificence, we cannot 
here discern between the righteous and the wicked ; as the 
former cannot boast any peculiar advantages, nor the latter 
complain of unjust privations, " The eyes of all wait upon" 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION, 83$ 

the Lord, and He gives them " their meat in due season*" Psa» 
cxlv. 15. 

But farther : not only are not the righteous to he discerned 
from the wicked, as being the subjects of the special smiles of 
Divine Providence, but, judging from present appearances, 
we should often conclude that the wicked have even the better 
portion. They seem to nourish and spread themselves like a 
green bay tree ; their eyes stand out with fatness, and they have 
more than heart can wish. "Behold, these are the ungodly, 
who prosper in the world; they increase in riches*" Psalm lxxiiL 
And while they revel in the possession of a luxurious abund- 
ance, the humble servants of God are often found struggling 
against the severest blasts of adversity. Bead the history of 
the world, and what do you learn ? That the wicked have often 
enjoyed an abundance of earthly blessings, and been promoted 
to the highest worldly honours, while the righteous have been 
destitute, afflicted, and despised. Egypt and Babylon triumph, 
while Israel the chosen people of God are in bondage, and 
laden with the galling yoke of cruel oppression. Jezebel, 
guilty of every abomination, is rioting in luxury, while an 
hundred prophets of the Lord in their secluded retreats are 
fed with bread and water. 1 Kings xviii. 4. Cesar upon 
his throne, sways the sceptre over thousands, while Paul, the 
messenger of the most High, deprived of his liberty, lies in- 
carcerated in a dungeon. The rich man is clothed in the 
most costly apparel, and feeds upon the richest dainties of an 
eastern clime, while Lazarus, racked with the pains of disease, 
asks for no better earthly portion than the crumbs which fall 
from the rich man's table. We may sometimes wonder and 
inquire why it is that the righteous are often the subjects of 
adversity, while the ungodly are favoured with the sunshine 
of wordly prosperity. This apparent mystery can be explained 



§36 tfHE PINAL DISTINCTION. 

only upon the general principle, that a state of trial is neces^ 
sarily connected with diversity in the Divine dispensations, not 
always in accordance with the moral characters of men ; but 
ordered with a wise reference to the promotion of their highest 
and most valuable interests. The righteous would often seem 
to be the objects of God's displeasure from the afflictions and 
privations they endure ; while the wicked* in the possession of 
every earthly good, appear to enjoy the peculiar smiles of 
Divine favour. But whatever of mystery there may be con- 
nected with the present state of mankind, the day is coming 
when it will be fully unfolded, and the distinction between 
the two classes of the human family will no longer be obscure. 
%i And then shall ye return and discern *' the amazing differ- 
ence between them, without any hesitation, or possibility of 
mistake. 

II. Our second proposition is, that there is a time coming 
when the distinction between the righteous and the wicked will 
be so evident as to be seen by all* 

The time to which reference is here made is the day of final 
judgment, when each individual of the human race will appear 
in his true character, and receive his appropriate reward accord- 
ing to a just estimate of his moral worth. Then all doubt and 
uncertainty will be removed, and the revelations of eternity, 
and the decisions of Jehovah's impartial tribunal, will disclose 
what our prejudices, the weakness of our understanding, or the 
veil of hypocrisy, may have hidden from our knowledge in this 
world. 

These words are spoken in the form of a direct address, 
and they were doubtless designed to refer to those who, in the 
former part of this chapter, are described as giving utterance 
to their infidel sentiments and feelings, by saying, " It is vain 
to serve God : and what profit is it that we have kept his ordi- 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 337 

nance, and walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts ?'' 
Here these persons receive an answer. It is true, indeed, that 
it may now seem to you in vain to serve God. You may think 
that there is no essential advantage connected with the keeping 
of his commandments. On the contrary, the faithful observance 
of his ordinances and precepts may expose you to suffering, 
persecution, and to apparent losses ; but though you may not 
see any material difference in the condition of the righteous 
above that of the wicked, yet be ye assured that when the 
present scene of things shall have passed away, and the day of 
final retribution shall have come, in the decisions and results 
of that day ye shall discern the difference in the condition of 
the righteous and the wicked, the blessed reward of those who 
serve God, and the fearful doom of those who serve him not. 

Let us consider then for a moment, in the events of that 
day, the reasons which will enable us to discern between the 
two classes that will compose the assembly of that awful day. 

We shall be able then to discern between the righteous and 
the wicked, because an entire separation will be made of the 
one from the other, and made, too, by Him whose omniscience 
will qualify him to render that separation perfectly correct. 

Nothing can surpass the imposing grandeur of the scene 
which the Scriptures present to our view when they describe 
the events of tlie final day. The Judge, arrayed in the signifi- 
cant insignia of his solemn office, sits upon his throne, sur- 
rounded by myriads of the hosts of heaven ; an archangel herald 
announces the sitting of the final tribunal, and summons all 
who have been the inhabitants of earth to appear before the 
judgment seat. Then the final separation takes place. For 
" he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth 
his sheep from the goats." The mixture of good and bad 
which now exists will then cease. The wheat and the tares 

Q 



338 THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 

must grow together until the harvest; the righteous and the 
wicked must necessarily associate in this world ; but when the 
purposes of Divine Providence shall have been accomplished, 
and the period of man's probation closed, the two great classes 
of mankind will be as distinctly divided as the moral charac- 
ters they bear are dissimilar. And the different places which 
these two classes will occupy will but render the distinction 
between them the more apparent, for he shall " set the sheep 
on his right hand but the goats on the left." The difference, 
too, in their characters will then be more strongly marked 
than ever it was in the present state. The righteous will then 
appear more eminently righteous. Freed from all the imper- 
fections and dishonour of their fallen state, and arrayed in the 
deathless purity and spiritual beauty of a glorified immortality, 
they shall shine forth with the lustre of the stars which adorn 
the firmament of heaven. Their graces will then no longer 
be obscured by the weakness and imperfections of a fallen nature, 
but raised up from all the degrading effects of the fail, and 
transformed to a perfect resemblance of the glorious Redeemer ; 
they shall be known of all as the heirs of heaven. While, on 
the other hand, the wicked will there exhibit in full their 
eal character. The evil of hypocrisy will be rent assunder, 
and their wickedness appear in its native deformity without 
any mixture of good. 

2. Another reason which will enable us to discern between 
the righteous and the wicked, is the wido difference which will 
mark the Divine conduct at that awful period. Then shall He 
render to every man according to his works. He will then no 
longer treat his enemies as friends. Here they are partakers 
in common of the blessings of a bounteous Providence. The 
same hand that feeds the righteous, supplies the wants of the 
wicked. But the dealings oi God towards his creatures in 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION* 339 

that day will be conducted upon principles widely different 
from those which regulate the dispensations of his moral 
government. Here all are the subjects of his fatherly care, 
and the partakers of his bounty, whatever may be their moral 
character ; but then upon the righteous only will he smile with 
approbation, while the wicked must wither beneath the frowns 
of his fierce displeasure. He will then confer upon his faith- 
ful people the glorious rewards he has promised. To those 
who by patient continuance in well-doing have sought for the 
honours of a blessed immortality, he will give eternal life. 
Before an assembled world he will rehearse their " work of 
faith, and labour of love," and acknowledge them as the mem- 
bers of his family, the subjects of his kingdom, and the heirs 
of an unfading crown. But to those who have been disobe- 
dient and unrighteous he will render tC indignation and wrath, 
tribulation and anguish." The day of favours with them will 
be for ever past, and the dispensations of Divine mercy will 
be exchanged for the retributions of justice, in the infliction 
of their merited punishment. Then they will hear from the 
book of God's remembrance the history of their lives of im- 
piety, ingratitude, and sin ; and read in the manifested tokens 
of heaven's displeasure the horror of their final doom. 

3. Wide also will be the difference between these two charac- 
ters, as seen in the feelings they will possess in that awful 
day ; nor will this be the least significant mark by which each 
will be distinguished. Amidst the melting elements of the wreck 
of nature, and the solemnities of tho final tribunal, the righteous 
will lift up their hands rejoicing. Here they may have been 
the children of many sorrows, fears and conflicts ; and with 
weeping sowed the seeds of life ; but then they will come forth 
with rejoicing, laden with the sheaves of an abundant and 
glorious harvest. Then all tears shall be wiped away from 



840 THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 

their eyes. No guilty fears will agitate their souls, no por- 
tending tokens of heaven's displeasure will fill them with dis- 
quietude and alarm. No accusing conscience will disturb their 
peace. Saved from sin through faith in the blood of the cross, 
the decisions of the final tribunal will have no terrors to them. 
The joys of the ransomed of the Lord shall be upon their heads * 
the songs of salvation shall inspire their hearts, and dwell upon 
their tongues. O how it will fill the righteous with raptures 
of unutterable delight, when they shall behold the Saviour 
coming in the clouds of heaven to claim them as the sanctified 
purchase of his blood ; to place upon their heads the unfading 
crown of glory; and to escort them in his train of heavenly 
attendants to their long desired home! Then will they' rejoice 
as warriors who have just finished their warfare, gained a com- 
plete triumph over their foes, and won the laurels of immortal 
fame. 

How different will be the feelings of the wicked ! Instead 
of the boldness and confidence which the righteous shall pos- 
sess, a shivering horror will seize their souls, and fill them 
with unutterable anguish. Their sins now marshalled in fear- 
ful array will stare them in the face. The frowns of Jehovah 
will settle upon them ; and the stinging accusations of a 
guilty conscience supplied with inexhaustible materials from 
the records of a faithful memory, will repeat the history of 
their lives, and unfold a tale of darkness and crime which will 
cover them with shame and confusion of face. to appear 
in the presence of a neglected Saviour, and that Saviour now 
their judge, and to hear the history of their whole lives repeated 
in the presence of an assembled world, will arouse every feel- 
ing of their souls, and inflict miseries intolerable to be borne. 
You will then discern between them and the righteous; from 
the wide contrast between the sensations they will each ex- 



THE FINAL DISTINCTION. 841 

perience. The one will rejoice, the other will weep. The 
one will triumph as the hero who has won the final victory ; 
the other will seek in guilty shame to hide from observation 
beneath the fallen rocks and mountains. 

4. But the last reason why we shall then be able to discern 
so distinctly between these two classes, will be the sentence 
that will be pronounced upon each. 

When the final separation shall have taken place, the righte- 
ous upon the right hand of the Judge, and the wicked upon the 
left, " then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, 
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the T\orld. For I was an hun- 
gred," &c. " Then shall he say also unto them on the lefthan 
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for 
the devil and his angels." " And these shall go away into ever- 
lasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Then 
shall ye discern between them, because the distinction will be as 
wide as the difference between heaven and hell. One shall 
inhabit the mansions of glory ; and the other the prison house 
of woe. One shall associate with angels before the eternal 
throne ; the other be the sport of demons in the lake of 
unquenchable fire. 

Do you wish to discern between them ? Go and see them both 
when rewarded according to their works ; and while you behold 
them, the one enjoying the fullness of eternal blessedness, and 
the other suffering the bitter pains of eternal death, learn 
that, verily, there is a God that rewardeth the righteous, and that 
judgeth the wicked. Now let us seriously inquire respecting 
ourselves individually. To which of these classes do we belong ? 
The word of God affords an unerring rule by which to test 
our real character. If we live in ignorance of our condition 
here, we may not discern it until it is for ever too late, and 
the decisions of the final day have sealed our everlasting doom. 



SERMON XXIII 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY 



But the path op the just is as the shining light, that shineth 
more and more unto the perfect day. 

Proverbs iv. 18. 



Light is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful and appropriate 
metaphors by which the sacred writers furnish us with clear 
and impressive descriptions of those spiritual realities which 
form the leading subject of all the inspired revelations. It is 
frequently used as an emblem of God himself; of whom the 
apostle John says, (1 John i. 5,) u God is light, and in him is 
no darkness at all." The sun — as the centre of our planetary 
system, the radiant orb which illumines our earthly home — 
dimly shadows forth the inconceivable glory and majesty of 
Him who is the grand source of all the intellectual, moral, and 
spiritual light of the universe of living beings. 

Nor does it less significantly illustrate the progressive opera- 
tions of that grace by which fallen man is reserved from the 
dominion of the prince of darkness, and elevated to that exalted 
position in the scale of intellectual existence, and to the pos- 
session of those spiritual joys for which he was created. The 
magnificent source of light, the inconceivable rapidity of its 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 343 

motion, its universal diffusion and wonderful effects, are pro- 
perties which render it an emblem beautifully appropriate in 
describing the spiritual things connected with the economy of 
human redemption. 

In the operations of the material world, sudden changes from 
one state to another seldom take place, and, indeed, never, 
unless from some suspension or irregular action of the laws of 
nature. The change from the darkness of the night to the 
light of the day is always gradual. So the transition of the 
human mind from ignorance to the possession of extensive 
knowledge, is effected not by a sudden flight, but by progres- 
sive steps, slowly and gradually taken. We may witness the 
existence of the same law in the accomplishment of the great 
and incomparably glorious work of the salvation of the immor- 
tal soul. Such is the constitution of the human mind, that 
a change so great as this cannot be suddenly effected. It must 
advance by persevering application from one degree of know- 
ledge to another, until, by the gradual expansion of its powers 
of conception, it is able with all saints to comprehend the more 
profound and glorious mysteries of the scheme of redemption. 
And although it is often the case that the deliverance of the 
soul from the darkness and slavery of sin, and its elevation to 
the enjoyment of the light and liberty of salvation, is effected, 
as it were, in the twinkling of an eye, yet when we examine 
the whole process by which man is transformed to the moral 
image of his God, and prepared for the enjoyment of the 
spiritual delights of his future home in the skies, we may see 
the illustration of the truth expressed in the figurative language 
of the text, that " The path of the just is as the shining light, 
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." 

I. By the just man here mentioned we are, doubtless, to 
understand the man of sincere, ardent, and persevering piety ; 



344 LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 

one who not merely begins, but also continues in the service 
of God ; he who not only enters the straight gate, but who 
also walks in the narrow path until he finishes his career on 
earth. The term " just," as here applied, may be understood 
as descriptive of the character of the truly pious, both as it 
respects the relation in which they stand in the sight of God, 
their inward experience, and their external conduct. The 
character and experience of the people of God have been the 
same in all ages, and under every dispensation, whether patri- 
archal, Jewish, or Christian ; and whatever terms were employed 
in other ages, as descriptive of their character, retain even now 
all their propriety of application. This term may be applied 
to every Christian. He is a just man. He is not so by nature. 
There is no exception to the broad declaration of Scripture, 
'There is none righteous, no, not one." Rom. iii. 10. "All 
have sinned," and stand guilty in the sight of God. All are 
accounted as criminals, and condemned — as the transgressors 
of the righteous laws of God. But the persons who may 
be termed just, in the evangelical signification of the term, are 
those who have been justified by obedience to the require- 
ments of the economy of redeeming mercy. Being justified 
by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are as completely 
free from all the guilt and condemnation of their past sins, as 
though not a single act of either transgression or delinquency 
had marked their conduct. And hence they are termed 
il just," because they stand fully acquitted, and are accounted 
righteous before God. But we may understand this term as 
also referring to their inward experience, the transformation 
of their souls to the Divine likeness. They are not merely 
accounted as just, or righteous, but they are also made really 
so. They are created anew in righteousness and true holiness, 
and made partakers of the moral image of God. They may 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 345 

also be termed just, because of the rectitude which is displayed 
in all their outward conduct. They render to all their dues, 
tl tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom custom ; 
fear to whom fear ; honour to whom honouy." They dis- 
charge to the utmost of their ability the obligations they owe 
to God and to their fellow-creatures. They acknowledge the 
claims of God upon them by devoting their time and talents 
to his service. Because they are not their own, but the pro- 
perty of the Lord, by a threefold right, they seek to glorify 
him in their bodies and souls, by an unreserved consecration 
of all that they possess, to be employed in promoting his glory. 

Being delivered from both the guilt and dominion of their 
sins, they live the life of faith and holy obedience, walking in 
the light of the Divine countenance, and regulating their con- 
duct by the just and unerring precepts of the word of God. 

But the great truth contained in these words is not merely 
intended to give us a description of the traits of character 
which belong to the pious, but rather to furnish us with a most 
pleasing and impressive illustration of that steady and unin- 
terrupted progress towards perfection in religious experience, 
which it is the privilege of every real believer to make while 
in this world, until delivered from all the effects of the fall, 
and raised up to the enjoyment of the unsullied bliss of heaven. 

The figure here employed is taken from the rising of the 
sun, which pursues its shining course from tr$ horizon to its 
meridian height, and sheds upon the earth the increasing 
fervency of its rays, until it displays the perfect beauty and 
glory of the noon-day sun. And such is the manner in which 
tbo light of heavenly wisdom gradually dispels the darkness of 
the fallen soul, until it is translated from the rayless gloom of 
its moral night to the unclouded splendour of the perfect day 
of heaven. This work is gradual in its progress, as is the 
change from the darkness of midnight to the light of noonday. 
u2 



346 LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 

Or we may take another view of the figure employed in the 
text, and in order to understand it more clearly, let us suppose 
that here is a person in the centre of surrounding darkness, 
and anxiously desiring to behold the light. Towards a cer- 
tain quarter he discovers a few glimmering rays which in a 
measure lighten the surrounding gloom, and enables him to 
proceed in that direction. As he advances the light increases, 
and he walks with less hesitation and with greater pleasure, 
because with less fear of danger. Each successive step, as it 
brings him where he can see the objects around him more 
clearly, affords him increasing delight. Thus, as he continues 
to advance, he finds the path becoming more and more bril- 
liantly illumined and increasingly pleasant, until finally it con- 
ducts him where 

" Neither cloud nor thinner vapour obscures his sky, 
And unsullied noon-light greets his wishful eye." 

The commencement of his path may have been illumined by 
but a single ray of light thrown into the midst of a midnight 
gloom, and there forming, as it were, a centre around which 
other rays are perpetually gathering, until it becomes a globe 
of light, which, by the overwhelming splendour of its beams, 
dispels the darkness, and sheds upon his path the unclouded 
light of the perfect day. 

So it is in the transition of the fallen soul, from the open- 
ing morning of its spiritual illumination, throughout the whole 
length of its gradual progress in Divine knowledge and hea- 
venly graces, until it is fully fitted to dwell amidst the light, 
and enjoy the inconceivable delights of heaven's own perfect 
day. 

The path of the just commences with the deliverance of the 
soul from the gross darkness of its moral" night, or when it is 
brought to an experimental knowledge of the salvation of the 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 347 

Gospel. It continues through the whole period of the pious 
man's earthly career, and it terminates at the moment when 
he is summoned to the invisible world. If the beginning of 
this path is illumined by only the feeble rays of the morning's 
earliest sun, each successive stage receives an addition to the 
one preceding it, until at its conclusion it is enveloped in the 
perfect brilliancy of uncreated light. 

Light is frequently employed in the Scriptures as the 
emblem of knowledge and of happiness. As the ignorance 
and misery of our fallen race are represented by darkness as 
the most appropriately descriptive emblem, so light, as the 
pleasing contrast, is used to illustrate that delightful change 
which is produced in the mind when it is delivered from the 
ignorance, the spiritual blindness, and the misery of sin, and 
made a partaker of the knowledge and joys of salvation. 

The just man, or the faithful believer, makes continual pro- 
gress in the knowledge of the truth, in holiness, and in his 
religious enjoyments. His path is illumined by no meteor- 
like blaze, which dazzles for a moment and then expires. It 
is no rising day lowering into mist and darkness. It is a path 
illumined by a steady blaze, and it increases continually until 
it is lost in the surpassing splendour of the cloudless light of 
heaven. It " shineth more and more." This is the character 
and reward of persevering piety. It is progressive in its 
nature, and it yields to its possessor richer and more satisfy- 
ing pleasures the longer it is possessed. The commencement 
of a life of piety may be, and often is, connected with many 
sore conflicts of mind, and perplexing doubts and fears, but 
these are gradually overcome, until the soul becomes possessed 
of a settled peace, and of a quiet and undisturbed repose. 

Let us, then, examine a little further a few reasons why it 
may be said that the " path of the just is as the shining light*" 



348 LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 

which continues to increase until it attains to the bright- 
ness of the perfect day. Persevering and steadfast piety 
may be compared to the progressive diffusion of light : 

1. Because of the increasing evidence which it affords of 
the divine reality of religion. 

There are some things which can be learned only* by expe- 
rience. Of these the religion of the Bible is one. It is true 
there are other kinds of evidence of its reality, but there are 
none which enable us to comprehend its nature, excepting 
that which is furnished by an experimental knowledge of its 
saving power. We may hear of it by the hearing of the ear, 
and in theory be convinced of its existence ; but never is its 
heavenly origin so fully proved as when it becomes the subject 
of individual experience: The evidence arising from this 
source always has an increasing power. The longer it is felt 
in the heart, the more fully is its power proved. We find how 
well adapted it is to meet the wants of our nature, and to 
support and comfort us amidst all the varying circumstances 
of this life. Every fresh trial we make of its principles, we 
become more fully satisfied of their safety. Each succeeding 
application we make to it for the consolations we need when 
the sorrows of this life encompass us about, nives us an increas- 
ing assurance that u earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot 
heal;" and that 

" Here may the wretched sons of want 
Exhaustless riches find ; 
Kiches, above what earth can grant, 
And lasting as the mind." 

If we examine the experience of the servants of God, we 
may learn the delightful truth that those who, by the longest 
period of trial, have m«st fully tested the power and excellence 
of religion, have become the most fully satisfied that it is no 
cunningly devised fable ; and those who have proved it in the 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 349 

hotest furnace of affliction, have returned from the fiery ordeal 
with their .graces most highly refined. With them the feeble 
rays of the morning sun have been succeeded by the powerful 
beams of the meridian sun. Saved from the shadow of a doubt, 
they can declare with the perfect faith of a well tried Job, — " I 
know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the 
latter day upon the earth : And though after my skin worms 
destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : Whom I 
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not 
another; though my reins be consumed within me." Job xix. 
25-27. 

2. Those who persevere in piety are blessed with an increas- 
ing assurance of the Divine favour. 

A conciousness of the favour of God is absolutely essential to 
the peace of the soul. This is the light which begins to shine 
in the heart of the believer, and the only sure source of peace 
to the conscience. This, at the first, may be dim and not in all 
cases satisfactory. The newly justified soul is often troubled 
with doubts, and a distressing uncertainty concerning its 
acceptance with God ; but that evidence which was weak at 
the first continues to grow stronger, and clearer, and more sat- 
isfactory, as the soul increases in the knowledge of God and 
spiritual things, until all doubt and uncertainty is dissipated, 

and — 

" No anxious doubt, or rising fear, 
Draws from its source the falling tear." 

That faith which at the commencement depended more upon 
feeling than upon knowledge, and which was as variable in its 
exercise as the emotions of the mind, by degrees grows into a 
habit, and keeps the soul in perfect peace from an abiding 
assurance of the Divine favour. 

There is a perpetual advancement towards that full assur- 
ance of faith which " ip the evidence of things not seen," and 



350 LIGHT SHINING TO PEKFECT DAY. 

which affords joy and peace to the believer, even when called 
to endure the severest trials, and to wade through the deepest 
waters of affliction. Faith, itself, is also strengthened by the 
new discoveries which increasing knowledge gives of the love 
of God, and of the fitness and fullness of the atonement, and 
the all-prevailing intercession of the Saviour ; and thus does 
the confidence of the believer continue to increase. Commu- 
nion with God becomes more constant and delightful, until the 
soul comes into the possession of the perfect light of the Divine 
countenance. 

3. The life of persevering piety may be compared to the 
shining light also, because of its increasing pleasures. Nor is 
this the least delightful circumstance connected with the life of 
the believer. He knows that however great may be his enjoy- 
ments now, his happy experience testifies that the farther he 
travels in the way of wisdom, the more pleasant it becomes. 
The knowledge of God, or a consciousness of the Divine favour, 
is the source from which flow all the soid and lasting comforts 
of the soul. Without the perpetual assurance of the favour 
of God there can be no abiding and joyous peace. But where 
this is possessed in the soul, it opens a fountain from which 
flow living streams of heavenly pleasures, and which continue 
to increase as they flow, until they mingle with the unbounded 
ocean of eternal delights. Each step of advancement in Divine 
knowledge which the soul obtains, affords increasing pleasure ; 
each brighter discovery of the glory of the Divine perfections 
renders the meditations of the soul more cheering and delight- 
ful ; every source of spiritual pleasure affords a more constant 
and a richer supply ; and thus the soul continues to increase 
in the abundance, the permanence, and the satisfying nature 
of its pleasures, until having arisen from one degree to another, 
it finally attains to the infinite and unsullied bliss of heaven. 



LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 351 

The duties of religion, by persevering practice, become the 
habit of the soul, and instead of being regarded as an irksome 
task are like oft recurring seasons of pleasing recreation, which 
bring with them a whole train of unmingled delights. What a 
countless multitude of always increasing pleasures are afforded 
by the word of God ; the ordinances of his house ; Christian 
communion; and those works of mercy and labours of love in 
which the servants of God are called to engage ! All these, to 
a spirit prepared for them by the salvation of the Gospel, 
present pleasures which never cloy, and which afford a richer 
and still richer satisfaction. 

That steadfast confidence in God, which is the fruit of per- 
severing piety, brings with it a joy as imperishable as the 
source from which it flows. To be able to rely upon the wisdom 
and goodness of God, at all times, even in seasons of adversity 
and affliction ; to possess an abiding assurance that all things 
shall work for good, and that all the dispensations of Provi- 
dence, however adverse to his present interests they may seem, 
will finally result in the accomplishment of his eternal happi- 
ness, is surely a persuasion which will afford unmingled pleasure 
under every variety of the scenes of man's earthly existence. 
And this is the sure reward of persevering piety. The faith- 
ful believer learns to trust in God at all times; to interpret 
things not by appearances, but by faith ; to trust even when he 
cannot see ; and from the numerous instances of the Divine 
interpretation and watchful care by which he is surrounded, he 
is ever increasing in the joyousness of his confidence, that the 
eyes of the Lord are ever upon the righteous ; upon them that 
fear him, and hope in his mercy. He becomes more free from 
anxiety as to the present and the future, from a longer experi- 
ence of the past, and he walks steadfastly through paths of 
danger, confident in the protection of heaven, and rejoicing in 
his unerring Guide. 



352 LIGHT SHINING TO PERFECT DAY. 

4. But lastly : those who persevere in piety are blessed, and 

rendered increasingly happy by obtaining clearer views, and 

more cheering prospects, of the inconceivable glory of their 

future home. The traveller, or the mariner, as he approaches 

the place of his destination, first obtains an indistinct glimpse, 

and dimly sees the object of his most ardent desire ; but as 

he advances, the dimness of a distant sight gives place to the 

clearness of a nearer view, until he beholds with open vision 

in the light of perfect day. So is it with the pilgrim while 

travelling to the skies. His path leads from earth to heaven, 

and it is a path which is illumined at each successive stage with 

the increasing splendour of celestial light, and it ends in the 

perfect day of heaven. The farther he travels in this way, the 

more clearly he discovers the nature of his future home, and 

anticipates with a more thrilling delight the joys of his eternal 

rest. Here he sees through a glass darkly, but the darkness is 

continually passing away. Here he knows but in part, but he 

is advancing towards the place where he shall see even as he 

is seen, and know even as he is, known, and where — 

" Kising floods of knowledge roll, 
And pour and pour upon the soul." 

The light which shines upon his path here is but the light 
of the morning ; and even that is sometimes obscured by clouds ; 
but it will end in perfect day, and that shall be the unclouded 
and eternal day of heaven, the perfect day of revelation, of 
deliverance from sorrow, doubt and fear, of eternal joy, and of 
the glorious vision of God himself. 

Is your path that of the just? And does your experience 
agree with the truth contained in the text ? Are you increas- 
ing in the knowledge and love of God?— in your religious 
enjoyments ? — in the fervency of your spiritual affections and 
desires ? — in the steadfastness of your confidence 1 — and in the 
brightness of your heavenly prospects? 



SERMON XXIY 



THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS STATIONS, 
DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 



For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should 
seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger op the 
Lord op hosts. 

Malachi ii. 7, 

If we hate sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing 
if we shall reap your carnal things? 

1 Corinthians ix. 11. 



These passages are selected more by way of indicating the 
subject of our remarks on this occasion, than for the purpose 
of giving an exposition of their meaning and application. 
They set forth truths which every christian is bound to con- 
sider ; and it is not less the duty of the minister to press the 
precepts herein contained upon the serious attention of the 
people, than it is for them to give heed to the obligations and 
duties which these passages of Divine revelation impose. 
And while selecting this subject for consideration, I am not at 
all unconscious of the sentiment which now so widely prevails 
amongst even christian people, that ministers should be very 
slow to speak of anything in which their own position, and 
especially their secular interests, are concerned. Even the 



354 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

very mention of the subjects indicated by the texts we have 
read may perhaps startle some, and awaken in the minds of 
many more unpleasant reflections in regard to the propriety, or 
even delicacy, of such a discussion in the pulpit. However 
much I might desire to avoid any subject that might excite 
unwelcome emotions, he who is appointed to enforce the Divine 
will has no choice when and where that authority defines his 
duty. If any avoid this delicate subject, not on their own 
account, but for the sake of those who think that the discus- 
sion may prove injurious to religion, by furnishing ground for 
the suspicion of mercenary motives, which some affect to en- 
tertain against christian ministers ; while I may respect their 
fears, and sympathize with their conscientious solicitudes, yet 
I should regard it as an impeachment of your good sense, and a 
reflection upon your christian principles, not to attempt to indi- 
cate the propriety of enforcing what God has commanded us to 
declare ; that the neglect of others on this point shall not deprive 
me of the right to say, I have kept back nothing that was pro- 
fitable unto you ; and * l have-not shunned to declare unto you 
all the counsel of God:" nor shall I apprehend any evil 
results from an attempt to explain and enforce any, and every, 
christian duty which the Divine Spirit has enjoined in the 
written word. 

That part of our subject which enjoins upon the church the 
support of the christian ministry, is found in the writings of 
that apostle who was so sensitively alive to everything that 
might compromise the honour, or hinder the success, of the 
Gospel, that he declares he would rather die than that his glory- 
ing should be made void, though to maintain that boast he 
should be compelled to preach the Gospel without charge. Yet 
this very apostle here inculcates the duty of supporting the 
christian ministry, upon an infant church, when he might 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 355 

naturally be afraid of putting a stumbling-block in their way, 
by exciting prejudice against that religion they had so recently 
embraced. But though the Apostle might have been appre- 
hensive of the risk of setting forth under these circumstances 
the pecuniary claims of Christianity, yet we see here with 
what frankness and decision he, who would sacrifice every per- 
sonal right and interest, aod even life itself, to the honour of 
the Gospel, demands the recompense due to ministerial toils ; 
without so much as betraying the remotest suspicion that he 
might injure the religion of Christ by enforcing a duty which 
bears the stamp of Divine authority, and which commends 
itself alike to the ready assent of the enlightened judgment, 
and the noblest feelings of the pious heart. 

We are the more confident of the utility of thus urging 
attention to this duty, from the conviction, that those who live 
under the inspirations of vital godliness, and aspire after the 
attainment of an intelligent chiistian manhood, will welcome, 
and be edified by, the consideration of this subject. Because 
I know that they deplore the inadequate attention that is 
given by too many to a subject which so deeply affects the 
interests of the church : while those who would gladly lose 
sight of this important christian duty, or who would assign it 
a place in the cold region of convenience and charity, if not blot 
it entirely from the code of Divine law, and banish it from the 
christian's breast, are the very persons for whose correction 
and instruction in righteousness we are compelled to set forth 
the claims of Christianity, and enforce that obedience which 
heaven demands for the honour of his church, and their 
highest good. 

In the consideration of this subject, two topics are presen- 
ted for our attention by the texts we have read. 

I. The character and duties of the christian minister. 



356 

II. The claims of ministers to an adequate support. 

The minister is here declared to be the messenger of the 
Lord of Hosts. Though this definition refers primarily to the 
priests under the Jewish dispensation, yet it is equally appli- 
cable to the christian ministry, and especially will it be so 
understood and received by those who hold that every true 
christian minister is divinely called to that high and impor- 
tant office. No outward call of the church can constitute a man 
an ambassador of Christ, apart from the inward conscious 
moving of the Holy Spirit, of which the voice of the church 
is to be regarded as only the formal recognition. The term 
here employed is one that is generally applied to represent both 
a high office and important service. An ambassador of a 
king or government, is a representative next to the sovereign 
or head of the government and is entrusted with the most 
important affairs of the nation. The rank he holds by the 
government he represents, and the business he is employed to 
transact. What earthly dignity, then, can be compared with 
that of the office of a minister of Christ, whether we consider 
the source from which it is derived, or the important interests 
entrusted to its care? The apostle Paul sets the matter forth 
in its true light when he declared, c * Now, then, we are ambas- 
sadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we 
pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2 Cor. 
v. 20. 

The peculiar qualifications for the office and work, we here 
refer to by an expression indicating the obligation the 
messenger of the Lord is under to seek a knowledge of the 
Divine will. As a messenger or an ambassador of an earthly 
sovereign is supposed to know the mind of him by whom he 
is commissioned and sent, so the ambassador of Christ must 
be a living repository of that truth which is revealed in the 



STATIONS^ DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 357 

written word, and realized in the experience of the believer* 
so that he may be prepared at all times to set forth the mind 
of the Spirit for the edification of the church and the salva- 
tion of the world. It is not to be inferred that ever the true 
minister of Christ is endowed with any miraculous gift for the 
acquisition of the knowledge he requires, other than by the 
patient and diligent study which is necessary in searching 
for truth of any kind. He, however, who is called to be 
an expositor of the Divine will may expect the special aid of 
the Holy Spirit in seeking such a knowledge of the word of 
God as will qualify him to be an instructor and guide of the 
people, in things which belong to their peace ; and so to give 
proof of his knowledge as to commend himself to the respect 
and confidence of those to whom he is sent. Hence it is said, 
that the people should receive the law at his mouth, as from 
one endued with skill to discern, and rightly divide, the word 
of truth : for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts. 

The representation here given of the office and work of a 
minister, demand the serious attention of every person who 
desires the efficiency of the instrumentality which God has 
ordained for the edification of the Church and the salvation 
of the world. We claim for christian ministers no unreason- 
able exemption from the judgment of their fellow men and 
christians. Yet we have no hesitation in declaring, that no 
church can enjoy the Divine blessing, and present to the world 
an aspect of light and conquering power, in which this supreme 
office does not receive the respect and confidence to which it is 
entitled, and its importance demands. And yet how many 
professed members of the church, and it may be occupying im- 
portant official positions, while they are disposed to render due 
honour and obedience to the appointed servants of an earthly 
sovereign or ruler, treat the messenger of the Lord of Hosts as 



858 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

though he were a mere menial, to be employed as the servants 
of their will. Instead of esteeming them highly in love for 
their work's sake, their defects, real or imaginary, are criticised, 
and their supposed short comings and unfaithfulness magnified 
into faults, and often with a freedom and uncharitableness 
that even sinners would tremble to exhibit. The spirit which 
inspires such dispositions and conduct is both unscriptural and 
pernicious, How can such persons honour the minister as the 
ambassador of the Most High, and receive his message as from 
God, while they subject both him and his work to the test of an 
imperfect, if not disordered, judgment? No person can form 
a proper estimate of what belongs to a position which he him- 
self has never occupied. This is true, especially with regard 
to the office of the Christian minister. And yet how many, 
and those, too, perhaps, the least qualified by intelligence or 
grace, set up a standard to determine how much he can per- 
form, and in what manner his duties should be discharged, and 
they vainly attempt to reduce to a set form that diversity of 
gifts which the Great Head of the church has conferred upon 
his servants, for the perfecting of the saints, and the perform- 
ance of the various duties which the work of the ministry 
requires for the accomplishment of its important object. 
The exact manner in which the minister can best employ 
his time and talents, must be left in a great measure to his own 
judgment, under the direction of the Divine Spirit, and the con- 
straining impulse of the love of Christ; and, unless in case of 
manifest delinquency, he is entitled to the confidence of those 
over whom he is placed, and to the credit of cherishing at least 
as earnest a desire as they possibly can, so to discharge his 
duties as to secure the approving smiles of his Master, and 
promote the prosperity of his church. But wherever a dis- 
position to murmur and censure is cherished, it will sooner or 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 359 

later produce its natural fruits. Instead of inciting the min- 
ister to earnestness and zeal in his work, and aifording him 
the encouragement and hope of success which the cheerful 
co-operation of a willing people is calculated to inspire, he will 
be more likely to become a partaker of the common spirit, 
and the truth of the Scripture proverb be realized, " Like 
people, like priest." Hos. iv. 9. 

The apostle Paul, in writing to the church at Corinth, 
says, " Ye are in our hearts to die and live with you." But 
what was the inspiration under which was breathed this 
self-sacrificing devotion to their interests ? Was it not while 
enjoying the consolation he received by the coming of Titus % 
" when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your 
fervent mind toward me." So let the minister of Christ feel 
that he lives in the hearts of the people, and they will live in 
his heart, and under even an ordinary measure of grace, he 
will be impelled to earnest efforts for their good, and prove to 
be the messenger of good things, and the united and willing 
co-operation of minister and people will be crowned with 
success in the salvation of sinners. This is plainly the 
order which the prophet sets forth in the words we have 
selected. 

The second part of our subject leads us to consider the claims 
of the christian minister upon the church for his support. 

The apostle seems, by the figure employed, to regard this 
just as natural a result as the connection between sowing and 
reaping. Hence he says, '' If we have sown unto you spiritual 
things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" 
Indeed, to the intelligent and devout christian, no other argu- 
ment is necessary than proof that it is of Divine appointment, 
and I venture to take the ground, that when the heart is right 
with God and his church, this claim will be as fully and cheer- 



$(50 TEE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

fully met as any other. That this duty was enjoined under 
the law none will question, and the words of the inspired 
apostles show that the same obligation is perpetuated under 
the Gospel ; and that in reality it is one so obviously proper, 
that it may be termed a duty of natural religion ; or in other 
words, it is but common justice. With all the consciousness 
that he was enforcing a duty from the very lowest considera- 
tion by which the christian can view it, that of common justice, 
he says to the Corinthian Church, "Who goeth a warfare at 
any time at his own charges ? who planteth a vineyard, and 
eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and 
eateth not of the milk of the flock I Say I these things as a 
man? or saith not the law the same also ? For it is written 
in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the 
ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen ? 
Or saith he it altogether for our sakes ? For our sakes, no 
doubt, this is written : that he that plougheth should plough in 
hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of 
his hope," u Do ye not know that they which minister about 
holy things live of the things of the temple ? and they who wait 
at the altar are partakers with the altar ?" Then, to show that 
the Gospel was not less just and' considerate than the law of 
natural rights, he says, li Even so hath the Lord ordained that 
they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel." 

The principle here enjoined was illustrated in the personal 
example of our Lord during the period of his public ministry ; 
for in addition to the entertainment he received wherever he 
was preaching the Gospel, it is said that certain women who 
followed him ministered to him of their substance. So, also, 
when the apostles were sent forth on their mission, they were 
directed to make no provision for their support, trusting to the 
sense of justice in those to whom they ministered, for an appro- 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 36 i 

priate reward for their labours. Indeed, so clearly is it the 
dictate of natural religion, or common justice, that those who 
labour for others should receive an adequate return for their 
services, that it seems hardly to have required more than the 
mere injunction, "Now judge of yourselves, does not nature 
teach you what is right?" Apart from the interposition of 
Divine authority on this subject, would it not have been mani- 
fest to every person of common sense and right feelings that if 
one class of society pursue their secular callings to provide 
what is necessary for this life, and another devote their time 
and strength to mental and spiritual pursuits for the good of 
others, that those who enjoy the spiritual benefits of those 
studies and services, should render in return a share of the 
gains of their secular pursuits? 

To wish it were otherwise, or to endeavour to secure the 
highest advantages at the lowest possible costj betrays such a 
perversion of mind and heart, and such a destitution of all just 
moral feeling, as is utterly opposed to all the dictates of com- 
mon honesty, to say nothing of the nobler impulses which 
Christianity inspires. For the people to desire and demand 
the advantages of the minister's studies, his mental solicitude, 
and physical exertions, while he receives no adequate share of 
their worldly gains, is as manifestly unequal and unjust, as it 
would be for the minister to claim to be supported by their 
labours, and do nothing for them in return. 

The question then arises, what are the rules or considera- 
tions by which Christians are to be guided in the performance 
of this duty 1 It will not avail us before God to urge the plea 
to which the money-loving professor resorts, that because no 
specific rate is laid upon our property, that therefore the merest 
pittance will suffice. Yet there are principles laid down which 
have all the force of an imperative rule. These may be set 



362 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

forth under the inquiry, what measure of support will answer 
the ends of justice, — most fully accord with the language of 
Scripture ; and most effectually promote the interests of the 
church, and provide for the salvation of the world ? 

1. Our first inquiry then is, what is just and right? We 
say, what is just? for the Scriptures present the subject in that 
light, and certainly give no countenance to the notion that the 
support of the ministry comes under the head of charity. Not 
only so, but the language of the apostle implies that even the 
most liberal support that can be given to the minister is a very 
small consideration when compared with the advantages of his 
labours. He says, is it a great thing that we reap your carnal 
things in return for the rich harvest you may reap from the 
seed of life which we sow 1 And what rational man ever sup- 
posed that he was performing an act of charity in paying the 
labourer for his physical toils ? How much more then does 
the labourer who performs the highest and most valuable ser- 
vice stand upon the ground of justice in his claim for his 
reward? This is the ground on which the minister's claim 
to support is placed by Christ himself: '* The labourer is wor- 
thy of his hire.'' Nor will the Christian, who exercises an 
enlightened and unbiassed judgment in determining his duty, 
regard his contributions for the support of the ministry as 
belonging to any other class of expenses than the payment of 
just debts — recompense given for services performed. To view 
the subject in any other light, would be about as proper as for 
the proprietor of an estate to compliment himself for his chari- 
ties, because he pays the steward who w r atches over the property 
which secures to him his income. 

The question then arises, what amount of recompense is 
necessary to answer the ends of justice? To determine this 
correctly, we may compare the services cf ministers with those 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 363 

of other persons who benefit society by their talents and toils. 
As a general rule, mental services are considered entitled to a 
higher recompense than mere physical or bodily labour, because 
the former, while they demand the exercise of the higher 
qualities of our nature, as well as a superior order of mind, 
they are the most difficult to be procured, are generally con- 
nected with weightier responsibility, and the best interests of 
mankind, and the performance of such services are the most 
exhausting to even the physical powers. If the recompense 
given to physicians, lawyers, and others, whose intelligence and 
professional skill benefit their fellow men, be the standard by 
which we are to judge, I ask whether the just claims of the 
ministry to an adeejuate support are generally accorded and 
met ? Is it not rather too commonly the case that they are 
adjudged worthy of no higher rate of reward than is given to 
the mechanic or labourer, for the mere exercise of muscle and 
sinew, and left without any assurance or legal guarantee that 
even that much is secure ? It is also worthy of notice, that it 
often happens that those very persons who would accord the 
lowest recompense for ministerial service, demand the highest 
order of talent and the most self-sacrificing devotion. They 
are never satisfied without such powers in the pulpit, and such 
zeal and activity in the pastoral work, as if employed in other 
enterprises, would secure a fortune. Yet they adjudge such 
services entitled to a mere living, if even that. Does this 
answer the ends of justice ? Judge ye ! Besides, how many 
of this class of economists, while securing all the comforts of 
wealth by the very habits of industry and frugality and integ- 
rity, which Christianity teaches and promotes, would be alarmed 
at the idea of such a salary for a minister, as would enable him 
to make even the smallest provision for a future day ? The 
same persons, too, are generally quite orthodox in their belief 



864 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER. HIS 



that it is the christian duty of good husbands and fathers to 
provide for their widows and orphans ; but they seem entirely 
to overlook the fact* that a minister who is equally subject to 
disease and death, should be at least as tender and faithful, if 
not as provident for the future as any of the people. It is 
true that a concern tor the future of worldly wants is often 
carried to an undue if not a guilty extreme, from which a 
minister should avoid the very appearance. But should not 
the same danger be shunned by the people? Covetousness 
and worldly anxiety for the future, are sins in them as well 
as in him. Just in the same degree in which it is lawful and 
right for any christian to provide for those dear to him, in the 
event of his death, in the very same degree is it lawful and 
right for the minister. Yet how seldom is it the case that this 
can be done, or any provision be made from his salary while 
he lives and labours. Hence when even this often inadequate 
resource fails, by sickness or death, those who were identified 
with him in his sacrifices and toils, and looked to him for sup- 
port, and had a claim with him in equity, must be cast upon 
the charity of the church. Is this justice ? 

II. Our second inquiry is, what amount or proportion of 
recompense should ministers receive in order to meet the 
requirements of Scripture precept and example? This may 
be inferred in some measure from the declaration, that the Lord 
has ordained, or commanded, if you please, that they who 
preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel; not maintain a 
bare existence by the most rigid economy, but live by it in the 
best sense of that term, as did those of old who served at the 
altar live by the altar. The plain meaning of this inspired 
declaration is, that such a remuneration as the tribe of Levi 
enjoyed under the ancient dispensation, the christian ministry 
should now receive. What this was is clearly pointed out in 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 865 

the Sacred History, from which we learn that one tribe, con- 
stituting, as we may fairly suppose, one- twelfth part of the 
nation, had a tenth part of all the produce of the land, besides 
several cities, and certain offerings presented to the Lord for 
the service of the temple ; showing most obviously that the 
ministers of religion were so provided for as to occupy a posi- 
sion a little above the common average of the people, neither 
being pinched by want, nor rioting in abundance. The same 
representation is, doubtless, intended by the language of the 
apostle when he speaks of "reaping your carnal things;" that is, 
that they are to share a liberal proportion of the worldly gains 
of those amongst whom they sow in spiritual things, and this, 
too, upon the supposition that what the people contribute is 
only equal in value to what the minister gives. But the lan- 
guage of the apostle implies more than a fair exchange of one 
commodity for an equal value of another ; for he says, is it a 
great thing for you to do this much ? teaching most clearly that 
while this reaping of carnal things is the lowest consideration 
upon which the recompense of ministers should be given, the 
benevolent impulses which Christianity inspires, and the un- 
speakable benefits it confers, should secure a generous acknow- 
ledgment of the obligations which the enjoyment of its blessings 
imposes. 

Another consideration may aid in forming a correct estimate 
on this point. Ministers of the Gospel are enjoined to be ready 
for every good work, to be ready to distribute, and to be 
examples to the flock in all that is benevolent and useful. 
They, as well as others, should not be forgetful to entertain 
strangers, observe the rites of hospitality, to assist the needy, 
and exercise a liberal spirit in supporting all the institutions of 
the church, and thus incite by example as well as by precept; 
but how can they meet all these requirements out of an income 



366 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

that is only barely sufficient for their own necessities, without 
neglecting to provide for their own households, and' thus deny- 
ing the faith and becoming worse than an infidel ? 

III. Our third inquiry is, what provision for the support 
of the ministry is necessary for the highest interests of the 
church ? 

What this is may be understood from the generally recog- 
nised fact, that no position or work more requires an undivided 
attention and earnestness of purpose in order to insure suc- 
cess, than that of the christian minister. The charge to 
Timothy, fl to give himself wholly to these things," is the 
injunction laid upon every minister. And so deeply are the 
interests of the church involved in this matter, that our Lord 
ordained that his ministers should be so supported as to be 
relieved from any worldly labours or cares that might have a 
tendency to deprive the church of the full benefit of their 
undivided attention, and the utmost elasticity of mind. How 
quick-sighted, too, are the members of the church to perceive 
any want ot attention to their welfare, when perhaps itMs the 
natural and unavoidable result of their own inattention to his 
temporal wants, — leaving him so racked with anxiety to pro- 
vide things honest in the sight of all men, by devising ways 
and means to make a scanty and uncertain income hold out 
for the supply of his imperative wants — that the church is 
robbed of the pleasure and profit that might be derived from 
the unburdened energies of his mind, and the generous flow of 
his soul. In worldly professions and enterprises, men are 
enabled to rise above the present pressure of embarrassment 
or want, by the hope that extraordinary professional exertions 
will sooner or later insure relief. But woe to the minister and 
the people when the fires of the pulpit, and the zeal of pastoral 
labour in visitiug from house to house, are kindled by the mer- 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 367 

eenary desire to eat a morsel of bread ! When such is the 
case, the church eats the fruits of its own doing — or want of 
doing rather, — and if the evil arise from want of inclination or 
attention, rather than from ability, it is aggravated by the ter- 
rible and crushing weight of the Saviour's anger, who will 
call them to answer for their sin and its consequences, when 
both minister and people shall be judged at his bar. 

I am not unaware of some of the ideas that prevail in regard 
to this matter. It is dangerous for the minister to be rich ! 
say some. It is harder for him to make his way into the 
kingdom of heaven, against the influence of wordly comfort 
and prosperity, than it is for the people ! It is not a little 
singular that those who profess to cherish this benevolent con- 
cern, that ministers should be kept as far away as possible 
from the danger of riches, are not at all afraid of increasing the 
hazards of their own salvation, by adding to their own wealth 
all that they can save by robbing God, and withholding the 
claims of the church ! It is certainly the attainment of an 
exalted height thus to love their minister more than them- 
selves, and which makes them willing to guard his security 
against the peril of riches, even at the risk of placing them- 
selves in more eminent danger of being found amongst those 
who shall hardly enter into the kingdom of God. 

But, say others, troubles are good for ministers ; and sup- 
pose they are, cannot the world and the devil make troubles 
enough for the minister without the church becoming a thorn 
in his flesh by adding poverty to the list ? But they preach 
better for affliction and under the rod. If so, it is when the 
rod is in the wise and prudent hand of God, and not that 
of covetous and wicked men. An afflicted soul, or a 
broken heart, is very good for confession and prayer, but 
it is a bad state for preaching. In the pulpit the joy 



368 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

of the Lord is his strength ;, and he reigns and triumphs 
over the hearts of the people only when they reign and 
triumph over his. 

But further, the interests of the church are inseparably 
involved in the character of its ministry. If God has con- 
stituted this chief office, in the church the grand instru- 
mentality for the accomplishment of his high and holy mis- 
sion, and has reserved to himself the prerogative to select his 
own ambassadors, is it not reasonable to infer that he will 
choose those who both by intellect and grace are best fitted 
for the important work ? Men, though impressed with a sense 
of a Divine call to the work of the ministry, are liable to be 
swayed by any and all the worldly influences to which human 
nature is exposed. How many a promising youth, whose 
career in the ministry of the church might have been like the 
sun in the heavens, has been turned away from this high and holy 
calling by the forebodings of the sacrifices and worldly want 
that it involved, and chooses a lower path, perhaps at the risk 
of his own salvation, because that path presented a more in- 
viting prospect of worldly gain. Whatever you may think 
of the idea, I do not hesitate to declare, that to me it is one 
of the stronger evidences of the Divinity of our holy religion, 
that so many men are found who forsake every other work and 
calling, with fair prospect of ample rewards, to become the 
ministers of Christ and his church, without any such assur- 
ance of remuneration as is considered only reasonable and pro- 
per in all other departments of both intellectual and physical 
labour. And what a mournful proof is it, that the veil is still 
remaining upon the heart of the church, which prevents it 
from realizing how deeply its own interests are involved in 
the inadequate attention that is given to this important part 
of its duty. And what must be the feelings and prospects 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 369 

which could induce a professedly christian parent to confess to 
the fact, that he had used his influence during a season of 
revival, and successfully too at the time, to prevent the con- 
version of his son, lest he should become a minister of Christ ! 
All loyal and patriotic subjects, regard an appointment to 
office under the crown, as an honour to be desired and sought; 
and yet, tell it not in Gath, that a subject of Christ's kingdom 
would rather risk that his son should endure the everlasting 
displeasure of his sovereign, than that he should receive the 
highest office in the gift of the King of kings. 

We do not wish to see the office of the christian ministry 
rendered so inviting by worldly inducements, as to attract those 
whom neither nature nor grace designed for that designation; 
but we insist that reason and scripture, and the interests of the 
church demand, that every person who is move'd by the Holy 
Ghost, to take upon him the office and work of the ministry, 
should feel that in obeying the Divine impulse, to go forth and 
sow in spiritual things that he will reap an average share of 
the carnal things, of those for whom he scatters the seed of life. 
If he chooses to forego all, and make the Gospel known with- 
out charge to those amongst whom Christ has not been named, 
let it be to him the blessing and reward of a voluntary sacrifice, 
and not the unjust exaction of an unfaithful and careless church. 

But says one, our minister is contented and gratified for the 
amount he receives. And this conclusion is drawn from the 
fact that because his self-respect, and regard for the honour of 
his office, induce him to bear his privations without murmur- 
ing, that therefore he is satisfied with his lot. But must a 
minister's delicacy be tried to its utmost limit, until the suffer- 
ing becomes intolerable, and he is compelled to break the silence? 
Is that the way to inflame his zeal and promote the interests 
of the church ? Is it not the more excellent and christian 

R-2 



3?0 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS 

way for the people to remove all ground of complaint, by such 
an attention to his temporal wants, as will leave him free to 
make full proof of his ministry ? 

IV. Our fourth and last inquiry. What is the duty of the 
church to the ministry, in order best to promote the conversion 
of the world 1 

The church is set as the light of the world, and as its minis- 
ters occupy a most conspicious position, they are in some res- 
pects the representatives of the church by which the world 
judges of its spirit and character. The apostle Paul enjoined 
upon Timothy, that a bishop must have a good report of those 
who are without, and he should therefore both by his character 
and position have access to every rank and class in society, 
that he may out of all save some. t He should neither be so 
exalted as to separate himself from the poor, nor so depressed by 
worldly want as to be beneath notice, and respect of the rich, 
but should be placed in that medium which will open his way 
to all as their common friend. I regard as lightly perhaps as 
it deserves distinction of rank, which wealth, and title, or office 
confers, and yet the customs and usages of the world cannot be 
entirely overlooked by those who are seeking to win the world 
to Christ. There is a sense in which it is not only lawful, but 
even the duty of the minister to become all things to all men. 
But how can he do this, if he is so depressed in his worldly 
circumstances as in effect to exclude him from access to per- 
sons of wealth and rank who have souls to be saved, or lost, 
and thus fulfill his mission to all ? While he should thus 
have the respect and confidence of the rich, he should also be 
able to assist the needy in distress, by something more than 
his counsels and his prayers. The men of the world, both 
rich and poor, look to a minister for an example of liberality, 
and will very much esteem or despise him, as they find him 
generous in his gifts, or greedy of filthy lucre. 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 371 

The prophet says, that the priests lips should keep knowledge 
in order that he may be prepared to communicate it on all pro- 
per subjects and occasions ; but how can he do this unless he 
has both the means and time for intellectural culture, and to 
search for truth 1 By his knowledge of general science and 
literature, the minister should be qualified to command respect 
amongst every class, to bear his part in conversation on every 
proper subject so as to make all his knowledge minister to the 
one end of his labours, in teaching the world the love of God 
and man. 

But in considering what will best promote the salvation of 
the world, we must estimate another effect which this want of 
liberality exerts upon the world. How strange it must sound 
when those of the world hear Christians in the possession of a 
large amount of worldly good, declare how highly they value 
their privileges and hopes, when they learn at what a small 
price they endeavour to secure the enjoyment of their spiritual 
treasures. 

The mischief done to the church and the world, by the want 
of liberality amongst the rich, will never be known till the 
light of eternity dispels the delusions of time. How often 
would the plain, and perhaps poor man, willingly contribute 
his share, but under the withering blight of a bad example, 
he thinks that if such a person gives only five dollars, then 
five shillings, or five pence, is all that should be expected 
from him. Here again, that insidious covetousness which 
clings to human nature more or less through life, comes in 
with its excuses and pleas. " But I have so many expenses," 
says the rich man, "which you do not know, in order to main- 
tain my position in society." And suppose this is true, and 
that your luxuries and superfluities are amongst those ex- 
penses, must all them be met, while the claims of the church 



372 

are the only expenses that must yield to convenience, as 
that which is least felt and regarded ? Is it only in religion 
that rank and position will not be affected by retrenchment of 
expenses ? In worldly matters when prudent people find that 
^heir expenditure exceeds their income, they set about a reduc- 
lion of expenses, and they generally begin with that upon which 
they set the lowest value, or esteem of the least importance. 
How many who begin with religion reach other items by but 
slow degrees, and with slight reductions ! Are such incon- 
sistencies likely to promote the conversion of the world, as that 
cheerful and self-sacrificing distribution to all men, which in the 
early church furnished such commanding evidences of the 
divinity of the Gospel and of its power? How different was 
the aspect presented by some of the churches to which the 
apostle Paul directs his epistles, in which he speaks in terms 
of the highest praise of their earnest care, when they sent once 
and again to minister to his wants, and instead of showing a 
cold indifference to the just claims of the minister to an ade- 
quate support, they prayed him with much entreaty to accept 
their offered bounty. And depend upon it, the world will 
never believe, and feel, the impulsive power of the high esti- 
mate which christians profess to set upon their happiness and 
hopes, and which they say often they would not exchange for 
all the earth can offer, until they shew by their works that 
Christianity does indeed give them to realize the blessedness of 
a heavenly treasure, for, which the largest earthly gifts are 
only a feeble expression and a poor return. 

I have no sympathy with the idea that Christianity, so far 
as it concerns man's interests, is a system of sacrifice, for it 
calls to no duty to which it does not assign an appropriate 
reward, it imposes no burden which it is not man's interest to 
carry, it demands no self-denial which is not crowned with de- 



STATIONS, DUTIES AND CLAIMS. 373 

lights, richer and more satisfying than any and all we are 
called to forego ; and it places within the reach of mankind 
that temporal good at which, alas, too many grasp at the risk of 
their chief good. The worldly professor may hoard up his 
earthly treasures by withholding the tithes and offerings which 
the Great Proprietor demands, but he will realize sooner or 
later the blessings and mildew with which such a withholding 
of the right will be vested. An Achan may rejoice for a sea- 
son in the unlawful possession of his golden wedge, and hope 
to have it a legacy to his heir, but a heap of stones is the 
monumental record of his own sin, and the ruin of his family. 
Recollect that the reward of Gehazi's coveteous success, was 
to transmit to his posterity his fortune and his leprosy. 

In conclusion, let none harden themselves and neglect the 
truth under the plea that this is a mercenary appeal. If I 
have spoken to you the words of truth and soberness, and 
urged upon you duties which God's authority has imposed, 
and in which your interests are involved, any suspicion of im- 
proper motives on my part, will furnish you with no plea of 
justification if found guilty of unfaithfulness, when you and I 
meet to be judged at the bar of God. 

Nor need the impenitent sinner attempt to take advantage 
of any real or imaginary unfaithfulness on the part of the 
church ; to congratulate himself that he is acting a more con- 
sistent and less guilty part by rejecting the claims of both God 
and his church. In your character and conduct there is no 
one redeeming feature. The christian who acknowledges the 
claims of God upon him, even though those claims, through the 
depravity of human nature, may be only imperfectly and par- 
tially met, is more likely at least to receive the approbation of 
his master, than he who impiously asks what is the Almighty 
that I should serve him ? As the ambassador of Christ, we 



374 THE CHRISTIAN MINISTER, HIS DUTIES, ETC. 

demand the surrender of your heart to him who bought you 
with his blood ; and your bodies, and your earthly goods to be 
laid under tribute for his service. You may still throw off 
the fear of God and walk in your own ways ; but remember, in 
the great and final day, you will reap as you have sown, and 
throughout eternity eat the bitter fruit of your own doings. 



SERMON XXV. 



A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN 
FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. 



Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou 

HAST LEFT THY FIRST LOVE. 

EEMEMBER THEREFORE FROM "WHENCE THOU ART FALLEN, AND REPENT, 
AND DO THE FIRST WORKS J OR ELSE I WILL COME UNTO THEE QUICKLY, 
AND WILL REMOVE THY CANDLESTICK OUT OF HIS PLACE, EXCEPT 
THOU REPENT. 

Ret. ii. 4, 5. 



How changeable and inconstant is man ! One day we see 
him pursuing one path in order to obtain pleasure ; another 
day we seek him in the same course, but he is gone. He 
chases every phantom which presents itself, and grasps at every 
thing within his reach ; but no sooner has the novelty of the 
newly-possessed object passed away than some others attract 
his attention. Thus he is kept continually roving from object 
to object, never satisfied, and never at rest. The pleasure de- 
rived from the possession of the mere glittering toys of earth 
is of but short continuance. Hence the reason why the 
ingenuity of man is racked to devise new methods of obtaining 
or perpetuating happiness. Solomon tells us that after having 
pursued every path of pleasure, and having tasted every enjoy- 
ment that earth affords, he was forced to confess that all waa 



376 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

vanity and vexation of spirit. His own experience confirmed to 
him the fact that the brightest earthly treasures yield only a 
temporary enjoyment ; they fade while they are possessed, and 
force their possessor on through life under the burden of a 
restless spirit, sighing for that which it cannot obtain — per- 
manent enjoyment. But not so with the felicity which the 
possession of the love of God imparts. 

Its nature is such as the spirit of man desires. For its 
enjoyment he was created, and without it he cannot experience 
any real or lasting pleasure. From this unfailing source he 
may constantly draw supreme felicity, and satiate the un- 
bounded desires of his immortal spirit with pleasures that never 
clog. How strange then is it that any who have once tasted 
the superior bliss which the favour of God imparts, should 
ever be induced to exchange it for the unsatisfying portion of 
the world ! And yet strange as this may be, how often are we 
forced, with weeping eyes and aching heart, to record the 
mournful fact ? How frequently do we see those who were 
once happy in the enjoyment of the love of God, again led 
away into the degrading and miserable slavery of the devil. 
The pleasures of the world allure j its shining baits hold out 
to them the pleasing, though delusive, prospects of present 
grandeur and gain. For these objects of a moment's spark- 
ling existence they barter their heirship and title to the endur- 
ing realities of a blissful immortality. ! if there is a sight, 
at the beholding of which angels drop the tear of sorrow, it is 
this : to see the infatuation of man, in exchanging bliss so 
high for misery so deep ; the inheritance of the saints in light 
for the woes and the anguish of the gloomy caverns of des- 
pair. The words of the text are part of a message sent to the 
Christian Church at Ephesus ; the same to which the epistle 
of St. Paul was addressed. But how different was their latter 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. 377 

from their former state ! In the epistle of St. Paul they are 
described as being in a high state of religious enjoyment ; 
blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ 
Jesus ; made fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
hold of God, and filled with, the exceeding riches cf his grace. 
They were strengthened with all might by the Spirit of God 
in the inner man. But now how changed their condition ! 
At the time when the Faithful and True Witness addressed 
them, the gold had become dim, and the most fine gold 
had lost its brilliancy. They had in a measure departed from 
God, and fallen from that high state of grace in which they once 
stood, and shone with so distinguished a lustre. Something, 
however, of their former goodness still remained : they retained 
their profession of the christian faith, and had not fainted 
under their tribulations, but had endured them patiently for 
the name of the Lord. These things are carefully noticed and 
enumerated in commendation of their character. Then fol- 
lows the heavy charge contained in the first part of the text, 
" Nevertheless," that is, as though he had said, Notwithstand- 
ing you possess these good qualities still, and are not wholly 
destitute of the fruits of faith ; yet all this does not hide from 
my searching eye, the declension which has taken place in the 
holy fervency of your zeal and affection, I have this against 
thee, that " thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore 
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works ; 
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy candle- 
stick out of his place, except thou repent." 

These important words are among the things which have 
been written for our learning ; and although they were pri- 
marily addressed to the Ephesian Church, they still retain all 
their force and propriety of application, and are now addressed 
to us, clothed with the high authority of Heaven. 



378 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

We proceed to notice then — 

I. The charge here preferred: " Thou hast left thy first love/' 

II. The exhortation to amendment: " Remember therefore 
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first 
works." 

III. The reason assigned for immediate improvement : " Or 

else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candle- 
stick out of his place, except thou repent." 

I, '' Thou hast left thy first love? We may remark here in 
the first place, that the Ephesian christians are not charged 
with an entire departure from God. They still retained much 
of the form of godliness. No charge of open wickedness is 
brought against them ; but, on the other hand, they are 
described in the verses preceding the text, as steadfastly main- 
taining their profession of the christian faith, as patiently 
enduring tribulations for the sake of Christ, and as labouring 
with unfainting perseverance in the cause of God. If such 
then was their christian character, if they were unblemished 
in their outward conduct, and if they, by their good works, 
gave a respectable testimony of their faith in Christ, we would 
certainly conclude, judging from these external marks of their 
spiritual state, that there was no real cause of complaint con- 
cerning them. Alas ! how easy is it for short-sighted man to 
be deceived. Man looketh on the outward appearance only, 
but God searches the heart, and beholds the hidden secrets of 
the soul. Doubtlessly there are many, who amongst men are 
esteemed as Israelites indeed, and as subjects of the Divine 
favour, but who, in the correct reckoning of the omniscient 
Jehovah, are accounted as having neither part nor lot in the 
matter. It is quite possible for persons to have the external 
marks of the christian, while destitute of the internal grace; 
to have the outward form of godliness, while at the same time 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. 379 

strangers to its inward power — the love of God shed abroad 
in the heart, by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, To God 
alone belongs the power of discerning the true characters of 
men. He weighs them all in the balance of his own eternal 
truth, and he will discover to them, by the agency of his Spirit, 
their real condition. Are they the objects of his parental love ? 
Plis Spirit bears witness with theirs, that they are the children 
of God. Does he approve of their conduct ? They have the 
testimony of a good conscience, assuring them that all they do 
is pleasing in his sight. Is their faith decreasing, and their 
love growing cold ? He will, assuredly, as he did to the Ephe- 
sian church, make them sensible of his disapprobation of their 
conduct. 

The charge brought against this church was a decay or 
declension in holy love and zeal. They did not retain that 
strong and ardent affection for God and sacred things which 
they had when first brought to a knowledge of the truth. 
They are not charged with having forsaken the object of their 
love, or neglected the duties of their religious profession. 
These they still retained. The sin for which they are here 
reproved is a loss of that flaming love which they once pos- 



Great, indeed, throughout its entire extent, is the mystery 
of godliness, and it is only just so far as we become experi- 
mentally acquainted with the things of God that this mystery 
is unfolded to us. The natural man cannot know the things of 
God, because they are spiritually discerned, and it is utterly 
impossible to explain to those who are strangers to God the 
nature of experimental religion, at least in such a manner as 
to give them proper conceptions of it. But every real chris- 
tian understands immediately what is meant by " first love,'' 
and too many there are, alas ! who know by unhappy experi- 
ence what it is to lose their first love. 



380 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

The first affections of those who are brought to the enjoy- 
ment of salvation are strong and lively ; Christ is the object of 
their warmest love. He is the one altogether lovely. Their 
most earnest desires are for holiness, and heavenward their 
every wish aspires. The service of God is nQW their only 
delight. Their meat and drink is to do the will of their 
Heavenly Father. Like the psalmist they exclaim, '' How 
amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord of hosts ! my soul iongeth, 
yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord." To them the 
world has lost its strongest attractions ; they are sensible of the 
vanity of every creature enjoyment, and of the superior and 
more lasting joys which the love of God imparts. Hence the 
whole conduct of such as possess this love is a practical com- 
ment upon the words of the psalmist, where he says, " One 
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I 
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to 
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." 
Psalms xxvii. 4. So long as they retain this first happy state, 
the yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden light; the ways of 
wisdom and holiness are to them ways of peace and happiness. 
This fervent love will render every duty a delight, will enable 
them to rejoice in the midst of tribulations, and to run with 
patience and increasing speed the race set before them. 

But this state of grace cannot be maintained without the 
most vigorous and persevering exertions. These lively affec- 
tions will abate, and this love will wax cold, unless great care 
is taken to keep them in constant exercise. A threefold enemy is 
combined, and constantly employed, to rob the christian of this 
his most precious treasure. Hence it is that we are so often 
exhorted to keep ourselves in the love of God ; to watch and 
pray ; to put on the whole armour of God ; to hold fast where- 
unto we have attained ; all these exhortations implying certainly, 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. y 381 

that conspiring foes are labouring to take from us this pearl 
of great price. The love of God is first obtained through faith 
in Christ, and is kept in the heart by the same means. No 
sooner, therefore, do we cease to exercise a living faith than we 
lose this love, We need scarcely stop to notice the marks by 
which such as have left their first love may be known. {t By 
their fruits shall ye know them." They no longer experience 
the pleasure they once enjoyed in the things of God. If they 
do not altogether forsake the house of God, they do not delight 
in the worship of God as they formerly did, and are glad when 
the season of devotion is past, and they are permitted again to 
engage in their worldly employments. The duties of religion 
which were once their delight, are now become an irksome task } 
from which they earnestly desire to be freed. Secret prayer is 
neglected, either wholly or in part. They are less frequently 
found with the faithful in the house of prayer. The world, 
with its pleasures, again takes the place of the love of God. 
Now, God informs us in our text, that this is displeasing in 
his sight, il I have somewhat against thee." And should we 
wonder at all, that the conduct of such as depart from his ways 
is highly displeasing to him % He mercifully bestowed upon 
them his love ; but they, by forsaking him, show how lightly 
they esteem it. He redeemed them from misery and death ; 
but they refuse to render him that tribute which he justly 
claims. He bestowed on them the riches of his grace ; but 
they cast away this heavenly inheritance, and chose the world 
as a better portion. God has declared, that he has no pleasure 
in the death of the sinner, and consequently, those whose 
conduct is at variance with their own eternal interests, are 
pursuing a course which is highly displeasing to God. Can he 
possibly delight to see those whom he has redeemed by his own 
blood, rejecting his offers of mercy, and plunging their souls 



B82 ■ A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

into endless misery ? If the conduct of those who neglect this 
great salvation be so highly displeasing in Ms sight, how much 
more so must be the conduct of those who have once enjoyed 
his love and depart from it? They endanger not merely their 
own salvation, but that of others also. They become stum- 
bling blocks in the way of many who witness their departure 
from God ; their backslidings being a reproach upon the cause 
of God, and directly prevent others from entering into the 
kingdom of heaven. Well, indeed, then, may he have some, 
what against those who leave their first love ; because, in so 
doing, they cast a reproach upon his goodness, ruin their own 
souls, and shut up the kingdom of heaven against those who 
would otherwise enter in. To all such he addresses the words 
of our text, to show them how their recovery may be effected. 
" Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen." 

That loss of the favour of his Creator, which man sustained 
when he transgressed the Divine commandment, is represented 
by a fall. He then descended from that high and happy state 
in which he first stood, to the degraded and miserable condition 
of a criminal and an outcast. He fell from the favour of God 
into a state of condemnation, from the enjoyment of that sweet 
communion with him in which he so much delighted, to dread 
the presence of his Maker; he fell from the image of God ; he 
lost the rectitude of his nature, and the power which he at first 
possessed of keeping the commandments of his God. To raise 
him out of his miserable condition, the glorious plan of redemp- 
tion was devised, and the restoration of man to the favour and 
image of God is called a resurrection, or a rising again. Thus 
David says, " He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, 
out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and estab- 
lished my goings." Psalms xl. 2. And the apostle Paul to 
the Ephesians, says, " And you hath he quickened, who were 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOB, 383 

dead in trespasses and sins." "And hath raised us up together, 
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." 
Ephes. ii. 1, 6. Hence persons having once enjoyed the favour 
of God, and lost it, are spoken of as having fallen from grace. 
This was the condition of those to whom the words of the text 
are addressed. They had been raised from the degradation 
of sin to the high estate of holiness, from the slavery of the 
devil to the glorious liberty of the children of God. But from 
this they had measureably departed, and were again descending 
to that low estate from which, by the grace of God, they had 
been raised. They are therefore exhorted to remember from 
whence they are fallen. 

Strange as it may appear, those who depart from God 
endeavour to banish from their minds every recollection of 
their former enjoyments. In order to effect this, they pursue 
the pleasures of the world more eagerly than before ; not, indeed, 
because they have a greater relish for them than they formerly 
had, but that they may the more effectually rid themselves of 
the unhappiness which the remembrance of their former better 
condition must inevitably produce. They mix with the com- 
pany of the world, pursue its vanities, and seek its treasures, 
in order to prevent as far as possible the harrowing reflections 
which a retrospect of the joys they once tasted would originate. 
But should these things, in their hours of solitude, force them- 
selves upon their minds, how speedily do they resort to every 
expedient, in order to banish the unwelcome intrusion. But 
to all such as have wholly or in part forsaken God, the compas- 
sionate Redeemer says, " Remember from whence thou art 
fallen." Compare your former happy condition with your 
present uncomfortable state. Remember how you once loved 
God, delighted in his ways, and how precious to you were his 
promises. Remember how high you once stood in his favour ; 



384 A. MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

how you were fed with honey out of the rock, and how you 
ate the finest of the wheat; what pleasure you then enjoyed 
in the worship of God, and with what joyful haste your feet 
ran in the way of his commandments. Consider the state of 
grace in which you once stood ; the happiness, love, and joy, 
which you felt, when you received the remission of your sins. 
Think of the zeal you then had for the glory of God and the 
salvation of mankind ; your willing and obedient spirit, your 
cheerful self-denial, your fervour in private prayer, your detach- 
ment from the world, and your heavenly-ruin dedness. Remem- 
ber when you were in this happy state, how pleasantly your 
days passed away, how easily you endured your temptations 
and afflictions ; remember with what a calm composure you 
could look upon death, and how bright were your prospects of 
heaven. But consider how different it is with you now. Your 
joys are withered and fled, and have left behind them but the 
sad remembrance of the happy seasons you once enjoyed. You. 
no longer delight in my service, nor take pleasure in those 
holy exercises which once afforded you unmiugled satisfac- 
tion. Remember from what a height of bliss, to what a depth 
of misery you have fallen. Think how foolishly you have 
exchanged the permanent pleasures of religion for the fading 
joys of earth ; the honourable liberty of the children of God, 
for the degrading slavery of sin ; the animating prospects of 
eternal life, for the fearful anticipations of eternal woe. And 
reflect that if you continue in your fallen state, you will 
finally shut yourselves out from the kingdom of heaven, and 
bring down upon your souls an eternal weight of woe ! 

" And repent." And surely if those who have left their first 
love would but seriously consider the loss they have sustained, 
and remember how much better it was with them in days past, 
wheu the candle of the Lord shone upon them, and when by 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, 385 

the sustaining and comforting grace of God they were enabled 
to triumph over their spiritual foes, and rejoice in the furnace 
of affliction ; if they would thus but compare their former happy 
with their latter uncomfortable state., they would be led sincerely 
to repent of the wickedness, and mourn over the foolishness of 
their conduct 

Such are here exhorted to a sincere and immediate repent- 
ance. They must repent of their ingratitude, in esteeming so 
lightly the grace of God, by which they were once saved from 
sin and misery ; of their unfaithfulness in guarding so negli- 
gently this precious, heavenly treasure; of their wickedness 
in departing from God, grieving the Holy Spirit, crucifying 
the Saviour afresh, bringing a reproach upon his holy cause, 
and endangering the salvation of those who have been the 
witnesses of their shameful conduct. And what cause have 
such persons to abhor themselves and repent as in dust and 
ashes, when they consider how highly displeasing to God their 
backslidings are ; how destructive of their own peace and hap- 
piness, and how ruinous to their eternal interests. But the 
repentance which such fallen souls are required to exercise, in 
order to render their recovery certain, is not merely a sorrow 
for the loss they have sustained, and the misery they have by 
this means brought upon themselves. How many there are 
who have fallen from grace, who remember with many a peni- 
tential sigh and falling tear, the high estate to which they once 
were raised, the happiness they enjoyed, and the pleasurable 
emotions and heavenly prospects which smoothed the rugged 
path of life, but who, notwithstanding, remain in their fallen 
state. There is a sorrow that worketh death, and there is a 
sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation, both of which 
may be known by their fruits ; the former producing no material 
change in the outward conduct ; the latter always being followed 



386 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

by an entire reformation. That repentance alone produces 
the proper effect which leads men to break off their sins by 
righteousness, and their iniquities by turning to the Lord ; or 
to use the language of John the Baptist, which " brings forth 
fruit meet for repentance." The persons here addressed are 
exhorted to repent, and as the evidence of the sincerity of 
their repentance, to do their il first works.' - ' They had lost the 
fervency of their love, and as a necessary consequence, had 
grown remiss in the discharge of their Christian duties. The 
love of God dwelling in the heart, may well be termed the 
main-spring of the christian's life, the living principle within 
by which all his actions are directed and performed. The 
apostle Paul says, " The love of Christ constraineth us." 2 Cor. 
v. 14. The Saviour says, " If any man love me, he will keep 
my commandments." John xiv. 23. From these inspired 
declarations, we may easily understand what were the first 
works of the Ephesian christians. They were not only faith- 
ful in the discharge of all their duties, but also careful to 
perform them in a right spirit, with an eye single to the glory 
of God. Their zeal was the pure flame of love ; their know- 
ledge was derived from the enlightening Spirit j their diligence 
and persevering labours in the cause of God, were but the out- 
ward and visible signs of their inward and spiritual grace ; 
the natural outflowings of the love of God which dwell in their 
hearts, sweetly constraining them to follow the example of 
Him who went about doing good. They are exhorted to re- 
commence these labours of love. It is true they had not 
altogether ceased from the performance of these outward duties, 
but they had lost the spirit of fervent love in which they ought 
to be performed in order to be acceptable to God : 

" For what are outward works to liim, 
Uulesa they spring from love?" 



FALLEN FKOM THE LOVE OF GOD. 



387 



<s Do thy first works." Seek the love you once enjoyed, 
resume your former diligence, your fervency in prayer, your 
attention to all the ordinances of God's house, your zeal for 
the glory of God, and the salvation of the souls of your fellow- 
men ; and rest not until your souls are fully restored to the 
image of God, until you have recovered all that you have lost, 
and are again possessed of all your former enjoyments, and 
qualified for the discharge of all your former duties. 

There is perhaps no state in which a person can be placed 
this side of a miserable eternity more fearfully dangerous than 
the one mentioned in the text. As in the diseases of the body, 
relapses are more dangerous than the first attack, and are 
generally accompanied with an incurable malignity ; so in the 
disease of the soul, a return either partially or entire, to a 
state of alienation from the love of God, is generally attended 
with greater danger, and with less hope of a recovery, than in 
the first case. The heart becomes less easily influenced by 
Spirit of God ; those vivid impressions of the importance of 
eternal realities with which the mind was once favoured, are 
not so easily produced as formerly ; and the natural unbelief 
which reigns in the human heart, gains in those who depart 
from God a two-fold strength. And how exceedingly difficult 
is it for those who have, in any degree, gone backward from 
God to regain what they have lost. Shorn of their strength, 
they have less power to contend successfully for the faith by 
which the world is overcome, and enemies conquered. Ashamed 
of their former unfaithfulness, and backslidings, they can 
scarcely summon courage sufficient to enable them to commence 
again the spiritual warfare, fearful lest the second attempt 
would but expose them to the deeper mortification of second 
defeat. At the same time the enemy encouraged by his former 
success, collects all his forces, and uses every hellish art to 



388 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

effect with certainty the ultimate and everlasting ruin of their 
souls. He presents before them in the most fearful light, the 
difficulties and dangers of the christian's path. What before 
seemed to them but mole-hills, now appear like mountains, 
whose rugged brows forbid the possibility of proceeding. Be- 
fore them stand their foes in giant form, and hostile aspect, 
threatening immediate ruin to those who should attempt to 
advance. Well indeed has the inspired Apostle said, " If after 
they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the 
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again 
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with 
them than the beginning." 2 Peter ii. 20. Their condition is 
worse than before. They have less confidence, their enemies 
have more. They are discouraged by their fall, but this has 
encouraged their foes. Their loss of spiritual strength has in- 
creased the power of their enemies. It is hard to renew such to 
repentance, and to induce them to do their first works. The 
soldier who has sustained the disgrace and danger of a defeat 
will not be easily induced to hazard a second conflict. It is 
only when the powerful considerations of safety and honour lend 
their aid, that he can be brought to contend with enemies to 
whose victorious power he has once been forced to submit. 

To induce every fallen saint to repent, and to seek his restora- 
tion to the favour of God, the latter part of the text supplies 
the powerful motives. '' I will come unto thee quickly," or a 
more proper translation of the original would be, (t I am com- 
ing unto thee in baste." He speaks as though he was already 
on his way to execute his purpose upon those who delay for a 
moment obedience to his message. 

The Lord Jesus Christ, who here speaks, is represented in 
the Scriptures as coming to different characters, for different 
purposes. To penitent believing souls he will come to dispel 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, 389 

their fears, and turn tbeir sorrow into joy. To those who 
hunger and thirst after righteousnes, he will come to 'bestow 
upon them the fullness of his grace. To the wicked he will 
come in flaming fire to execute the fierceness of his wrath. 
Finally he will come in the end of the world as the Judge of 
quick and dead, to give every man a reward according to his 
work. But he declares in this place the distinct purpose for 
which he is coming. I will " remove thy candlestick out of 
his place.'' I will come in the way of judgment, to deprive 
you of the privileges ycu now enjoy. There is doubtlessly an 
allusion here made to the lamp used in the Levitical service, 
which was placed in the tabernacle, or temple, and kept con- 
stantly burning. Of so great importance was this lamp, that 
the removal of it from its place would necessarily occasion the 
immediate and entire suspension of the whole of their religious 
exercises. Hence we may understand this threatening to sig- 
nify, that if they did not repent, and resume their former 
labours, they would be deprived of the means of grace ; they 
would be no longer favoured with the ministration of his 
word and ordinances, they would lose the influence of his 
Spirit, and finally they would be excluded from the presence 
and favour of their Creator and Redeemer. 

With what fearful precision this threatening has been ex- 
ecuted upon the Ephesian Church, the testimony of travellers 
abundantly confirms. Its former glories gone. The scath- 
ing hand of justice hath wielded over it the destroying sword, 
and left it a monumental record to all succeeding generations, 
that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altoge- 
ther, while the winds that sweep over the ruins of this once . 
highly favoured place whisper as they pass, i( He that hath ears 
to hear, let him hear." And how frequently have we heard of 
places where once the word of the Lord had free course, and 



390 A MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO HAVE 

was glorified in the salvation of multitudes, but which, through 
the unfaithfulness of the professed followers of Christ, have 
been turned into moral wastes. 

We have seen individuals and families, for a time, walking 
in the light of God's countenance and in the comforts of the 
Holy Ghost, gradually falling from their enjoyments, losing 
the spirit of religion, abandoning first partially, and afterwards 
wholly, the practice of piety, and finally becoming miserable 
outcasts and apostates. They first grow cold, next become 
indifferent, carelessness soon follows, and the end of all is 
everlasting ruin. This shall be the final doom of the unfaith- 
ful ; and all this may fairly be inferred from this threatening, 
corroborated as it is by other declarations of the inspired 
word. ''Whosoever hath, to him," says the Saviour, "shall 
be given ; and whosoever hath not to him shall be taken even 
that which he seemeth to have." Luke viii. 18. And again : 
" If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is 
withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, 
and they are burned." John xv. 6. The unfaithful servant 
who neglected to improve his talent, not only had it taken from 
him, but he himself was cast into outer darkness. 

To every halting or backsliding soul, the Lord Jesus speaks 
in the language of the text, " I will come unto thee quickly." 
I will come unto thee in judgment to hide the light of heavenly 
truth from thine eyes ; to withdraw the long-neglected influ- 
ence of my insulted Spirit ; to give thee over to a hard heart 
and a reprobate mind ; and finally consign thee ^o the land 
where darkness and despair reign with unmingled horror 
forever and ever. 

" Except thou repent." We see here, that although the 
unfaithful are threatened with the speedy coming judgments 
of the offended Redeemer, yet to all who will hear and obey 
the timely warning so mercifully given, the way of escape is 



FALLEN FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. 391 

opened. As though he had said, I have threatened to remove 
thy candlestick out of its place, to punish thee for thy ingrat- 
itude and unfaithfulness, by depriving thee of the means of 
grace, the influences of my Spirit, and the crown of life ; but I 
delight not in punishing ; I hate putting away. If thou wilt 
repent and seek thy first love, I will restrain my anger and love 
thee freely. Then, too, will I come unto thee, but not in my 
sore displeasure. I will come, and take up my abode again in 
thy heart, from which I have once been driven as an unwel- 
come guest. I will come and restore to you the peace and joy 
thou hast lost ; uphold by my grace ; and if thou art faithful 
unto death, I will then come and receive thee to myself, and 
where I am, there shalt thou be also. But remember, thou 
hast no time to lose. A little space is given thee to repent, 
and what thou doest must be done quickly ; for I am even now 
coming either to receive thee as a returning prodigal, or to cast 
thee off forever as a hopelessly fallen soul. 

How fearfully dangerous is the state of the fallen ; not only 
those who have altogether departed from God, but even of those 
who still retain the form of godliness, but who have lost the • 
power ! The persons who, in the words of the text, are so 
severely threatened had but partially fallen, and they are 
admonished as being in danger of utter ruin. How many are 
there who have made shipwreck of their faith, and lost the 
sweet peace and comfort they once enjoyed, who do not even 
dream of the danger to which their fall exposes them ! Their 
cry is peace, peace, while sudden alarm awaiteth them. And 
how many, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, 
will be disappointed at his solemn decision in that day concern- 
ing them, Depart from ine; for I know you not 



